Baptism of fire
by TheCivilizedCaveman
Summary: The disaster of Vale City had changed the lives of many. Citizens lost their homes and loved ones... The Hunters and students of Beacon Academy had to live with their failure to stop Cinder Fall and White Fang from destroying the city. Now, six months since that night, Ruby Rose and co. get the chance to take the fight to their enemies. *Sequel to 'To Be a Huntsman,' AU, OCs*
1. Prologue

_Alright, ladies and gents... At the start of this month, I promised I would upload the continuation of 'To Be a Huntsman,' so here you have it. This chapter is a prologue, an introduction to the basic plotline, and since the prequel ended up being an AU, in relation to the canon story, things are gonna deviate from canon here, too, even if the events will_ loosely _follow the plot of RWBY volumes 4 and 5, to a degree. But I should stop here before I start rambling too much... The story starts right where part 1 of the character shorts left off (not required to read but I recommend) and there will be some references to the prequel and the collection of one shots, just a heads-up._

 _Lastly, time to get formalities out of the way before we begin:_ _ _ _ **RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and absolutely fantastic Mr. Monty Oum (RIP)!** I own nothing of RWBYverse except my OCs.___

* * *

Prologue – A new journey

"What is taking her so long? Ugh, this waiting sucks!"

"Skipper was at the Beacon Tower when I called her. She'll be here in ten minutes."

" _Ten_ minutes?! But that's-"

"Completely reasonable. You should learn to practice some patience, Nora."

"But I don't wanna practice patience, Ren! I wanna-"

"Shut it, all of you!" An angry female voice shut up the arguing teenagers. "Just a minute more of your prattling and my head's gonna explode!"

Nobody dared to speak afterwards.

Rooms at the Beacon's dormitory building were designed specifically to accommodate one student teams, or four people, per room. So when nine hunters in training crammed themselves into the limited space of team TNDR's room it got rather difficult to get comfortable, especially when each of them brought some snacks, drinks, some decorations and other accessories.

Ever since the disaster of Vale city, there weren't many opportunities for merrymaking of any sort. This was a special occasion though, meant specifically for the missing member of team TNDR. It was a spur of the moment, not really planned in advance. Given the circumstances, however, there likely wouldn't be any other chance to do this... Though as hectic as the preparations were, the students were convinced it would pay off, or so they hoped.

After what seemed like an eternity, though in reality it was barely ten minutes, a telltale sign of high heels clicking against the tile floor echoed from the hallway outside. The group of teenagers in the room quieted down and shared excited looks.

The footsteps abruptly stopped. A moment later, the door opened, revealing the woman of the hour, none other than Tanya Griffon.

"Alright fellas, sorry I'm late. I was just... Uh..." The leader of team TNDR trailed off as she took in the sight before her. Confetti littering the floor, colorful ribbons hanging from the ceiling, tables laden with snacks... and then there was the group of nine fellow students, wide grins plastered on their faces. It was might confusing to her.

"Guys? What are you-" Griffon didn't get to finish the question when the crowd hollered in unison.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

For a minute, she just stood in the doorway with a confused expression. _My birthday? TODAY?_ Something _totally_ didn't add up here. In the meantime, her teammates, team JNPR and Rose-Xiao Long sisters stared back at her expectantly, waiting for some kind of reaction. She searched through her memory trying to get to the bottom of all this, all while the silence was quickly becoming uncomfortable.

Then it finally dawned on her. Today wasn't her birthday. It was whole _three months ago_ and she didn't even realize it. And she wouldn't if her friends weren't so kind as to remind her.

"Oh my god..." Tanya intoned with a grimace of complete embarrassment. "I can't believe I forgot about that." And it was no excuse she had many other things to worry about at the time, such as getting back into shape after weeks of being bed ridden.

"Nah, that's okay." Yang waved her hand. "There was so much stuff to take care of, I wouldn't be surprised if some of us forgot about their birthday, too!" That was entirely too possible...

"But today is your day, Skipper!" Ruby chimed in. Even the other teams started using the nickname; Griffon was used to it at this point. "And we're gonna make it special!"

And with that, the crowd behind her split in two.

There, on a small folding table, was a cake, only simply adorned with cream and blue frosting. On the top, there was an inscription reading 'Happy birthday' made with a chocolate topping, eighteen lit candles and a small wooden stick with a Jolly Roger flag... which might've felt a bit out of place on a birthday cake. A normal person might've been offended... but Tanya chuckled lightly, obviously not thinking much of it.

"You guys sure went all out with that pirate thing, huh?"

Ren grimaced at her remark. "It was Nora's idea." _Obviously,_ Tanya chortled internally. "I didn't agree but she can be very convincing."

"How dare you betray me like that?" Valkyrie pointed her finger accusingly at her partner in a fit of feigned anger. The rest of the gang chuckled at the scene.

"Personally, I find it appropriate, given your choice of attire." Pyrrha said with a smile, to which her partner _and_ boyfriend Jaune nodded. Those two lovebirds were almost inseparable since the fall of Vale city and their fight with Cinder Fall, a maniac of a woman which almost succeeded at killing them. Jaune was stuck in the infirmary for almost two months and it was a small miracle that he recovered, given that Cinder's arrow nearly skewered his heart. Ever since he was finally released, Pyrrha was attached to his hip, figuratively speaking, and helped a great deal with his recovery. Jaune said it multiple times he couldn't understand how someone like Pyrrha could fall for a hopeless klutz and a fraud such as himself... but he wouldn't change her for anything in the world.

As for Pyrrha... she was only glad she managed to somehow get through his thick skull.

"Of course you do." Tanya chuckled. "But anyway, where did you get this? I didn't know there were any shops open downtown-"

"We made it!" Ruby chirped, looking very proud of herself.

"We?"

"Well, it's just Jaune and Ruby." Ren explained. "The rest of us just got the ingredients."

"I got to harass the chef at the cafeteria, asking nicely to give us some extra flour." Yang huffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "That was _fun._ "

"You can't blame him for not wanting to waste food, Yang." Roland pointed out. "Supply's been difficult lately and we need to be careful with food rationing."

"We wouldn't starve just because of taking a little flour!"

"Hey, we ended up fetching some from a store downtown, no point in arguing about it now." Nicolaus butted in. He wasn't proud of having to loot abandoned shops like a lowly scavenger... but these were difficult times.

"Wait a moment, guys!" Tanya interjected before things could devolve into an argument. "Nevermind the ingredients; Ruby, I could understand but since when can _Jaune_ cook? Or bake, for that matter?"

"Heh, seven sisters, remember?" Jaune laughed. "Or do you not believe in my talents?"

"Of a professional male housewife?" Yang teased, prompting him to blush.

"We did the best we could with the little we had!" Ruby pouted. "Don't you like it, Tan?"

The fencer cursed mentally. She hated that 'kicked puppy' look the crimsonette used so effectively as a secret weapon. You wouldn't be able to say 'no' under its terrible influence...

"Of course I like it, Ruby." She replied with a smile. After investing so much time into making this little surprise happen, she couldn't possibly say anything bad about all this. There was a question of what brought this up, her forgotten birthday, but that hardly mattered now.

Much like her namesake, Ruby went bright red in the face when the older girl planted a peck on her cheek. She sputtered in embarrassment as the rest of the gang laughed.

"Aw, look at her, that's so adorable!" Yang giggled at the sight of her flustered sister.

"Shut up, Yang!" Even with that furious scowl, Ruby couldn't possibly hope to intimidate people...

Tanya would be content with laughing at the bickering sisters, especially Ruby swinging her fists uselessly as Yang held her back with her one hand. Ren had other ideas, though. "Alright, while the sisters are having a moment," He said, gesturing to her birthday cake. "blow the candles and make a wish, preferably _before_ Nora decides to demolish that thing all by herself."

Sure enough, Nora stared at the cake without blinking once, as if in trance. She had already procured a knife and a plate; it was only good manners that kept her from taking the first slice while the candles still burned... Or maybe it was the knowledge Ren would get mad at her.

 _Best not to keep her waiting, then..._

Even as she bent down towards the 'wheel of sugary goodness' Tanya struggled to come up with her wish. Finding a true love? Becoming rich and famous? These things sounded so inane and foolish in contrast with their current problems. And what was the point, anyway? The whole 'blow the candles' thing was a childish belief and she knew it too. However, given what herself, her teammates and friends went through in the last half a year, after seeing all the horrors of the real world out there and witnessing the worst people could offer, humankind and Faunus alike... Maybe a miracle would happen and the wish would somehow come true. And she was fairly convinced a miracle was something they all could use.

To see the end of the war that threatened to engulf Remnant in its fires of death and doom.

Taking a sharp inhale, she blew out all eighteen candles on the first try. As soon as the flames flickered and died, the whole room erupted into cheers and applause.

 _Let's hope this works, at least this once..._

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jaune hand her a knife. "Here you go, Skipper; you get the first slice."

Tanya took it out of his hand and quickly got to work. The cake had no chance of surviving the massacre, mercilessly split into ten pieces, one for each person in the room.

Right when everyone was about to dig in, 'Skipper' asked them for a moment of attention, much to Nora's chagrin who was in no way happy about having to wait any longer...

"Alright, before you guys begin stuffing your faces, I'd like to thank all of you for this." Tanya gestured to the decorations, snacks and other stuff the gang brought here for the 'surprise party.' "In all honesty, I didn't expect any one of you to actually remember the most important day in my life, especially when I myself forgot all about it. You've clearly put a lot of effort into all this and I appreciate it, really. And honestly, I couldn't ask for better friends than you." This brought smiles from her fellow hunters in training. "On the other hand, though, I'd wager some of you might have the same problem I did, forgetting about things that are important to you... and I wouldn't blame you for that, really. With all the terrible things we had to deal with in the last few months, and all the work we gotta get done every day, we all seem to forget to think about ourselves once in a while."

Seeing all the puzzled looks cast her way made her think it better to get to the point.

"What I'm trying to say is: this little party should be about all of us, not just me. We've all been through some tough times; Grimm, White Fang, Red witch and her little conspiracy... and the hospital, for some of us." The last remark earned a few chuckles, namely from Yang, Roland and Jaune. "This right here is one of the very few chances for us to relax, unwind, and forget about our worries, fears, responsibilities, even if for just a few hours. No telling if such opportunity might arise again, because for all I know, some or all of us might wind up dead tomorrow! So all of you with me here, eat, drink and enjoy yourselves to your hearts content because the way I see it, this ain't only my day, but your day as well!"

The moment she finished her little speech, another round of cheers and clapping shook the room. Were it any other day, Tanya would be afraid Goodwitch would chew them out for making such racket... but the now Acting headmistress had other things to worry about.

Not likely that she'd stop by any time that day...

* * *

Only when the surprise party was in full swing did the students realize how much they needed a break, a distraction. Griffon couldn't have been more right when she dedicated it to every one in the Beacon gang. They all deserved it.

Soon after the poor birthday cake was erased from existence, Jaune cracked open a bottle of soda and poured into plastic cups, one for each person. When it was time to raise their glasses, or cups, there was only one thing to drink to.

" _To us!"_

Well, this was their day, after all.

Soda wasn't really an approproiate choice of drink for a toast... But getting drunk while they could be called out for a mission any time would be a terrible idea, unless you were Qrow Branwen, of course. Besides, if Goodwitch caught even a whiff of alcohol in their room, there would be hell to pay.

In that day, teams JNPR, TNDR, and the sisters remembered friends and comrades who couldn't be with them. Weiss, who was basically under house arrest imposed by her father; Blake, who disappeared on them after the Festival massacre and no one saw her since; Sun, Neptune and other friends from Mistral who got called back to Haven academy a couple months ago; and the unfortunate souls who didn't survive the Grimm invasion.

It was half a year since her father passed away and Tanya did her best to move on... but the world didn't make things easy for her. Only a month ago she had to bury another one of her friends. Ellie was her schoolmate before Beacon and hung out with Emile and his gang; no one knew how it happened but Ellie wound up captured by White Fang and was killed before she could be rescued.

Lately it's just been one disaster after another... It would be difficult to just forget all this, even for a day, but she'd do her best. This was one of the very few opportunities to relax and she wouldn't let her personal tragedies get in the way of enjoying it.

No one seemed to mind how cramped the room felt with ten people stuffed inside. The group of hunters in training was seated on the beds, few chair or simply on the floor (and nobody cared how uncomfortable it might be), chatting casually, telling jokes, laughing, while munching on whatever snacks were available. It's been a long time since they last got together like this, and that was before the Vytal Tournament. They were all grateful for a chance to enjoy each other's company even amidst all the chaos and facing the uncertain future. It was enough to make them forget all the bad things that happened in the last few months...

Destruction of Vale City by monsters and Beacon Academy being the last bastion of resistance in the area; close friends dying or escaping death only by a hair; losing homes, families... or the knowledge that some people out there might be more wicked and malevolent than Grimm themselves.

Tonight though, these thoughts were pushed to the background; this day was theirs to enjoy, without being plagued by all kinds of miseries.

* * *

"You guys know what we should do?" Ruby chirped. "Let's play some game!"

Her suggestion was met with general approval.

"Sure, why not." Ren agreed. "Any ideas?"

Yang grinned. "What about truth or dare?"

"NOOOO!" And just like that, her idea got shot down by everyone at once.

"The last time we did this Goodwitch almost gave us detention!" Tanya argued, remembering the whole affair too well. Goodwitch thought she had walked in on some kind of drunk orgy given the very... _compromising_ position Tanya was in at the moment; she blamed Yang for that, by the way. Miraculously they managed to talk the angry professor down but it didn't make the entire situation any less embarrassing. No one wanted to repeat this kind of experience if they could help it.

"Maybe we should do something less... _extreme?_ " Pyrrha offered.

Yang pouted in response. "You guys are such a bunch of wet blankets."

"Not everyone's as wild and crazy as you, Yang." Roland chuckled.

"That's it, Gunny; you're sleeping on the couch tonight!"

"We don't have a couch; joke's on you, Firecracker!"

The rifleman winced when his girlfriend slugged him in the shoulder, the one _not_ made of metal. Sometimes he tended to forget how ridiculously strong Yang was.

"Alright, knock it off, you two!" Nicolaus intervened. "If you wanna fight, take it to the arena!"

"Nope!"

"... Nah, we're good."

"But seriously, truth or dare is out." Tanya said.

"Wuss," Yang muttered which went completely ignored.

"And no spin the bottle." Ruby chimed in, shuddering slightly. "Or gross stuff in general."

Oh Ruby, always so innocent... or it seemed that way. _No wonder you're still single,_ Yang thought to herself, even if her over-protective nature also had a hand in that... not that she'd admit it aloud.

"Well, if anyone has some bright ideas, we're all ears!" The blonde threw her hands up in frustration.

"Tug-o-war?" Emery suggested.

"Against you? No thanks, I'd rather save myself the embarrassment." Nicolaus quipped.

"I'd prefer something that doesn't involve us leaving this room." Ren stated, making himself comfortable on the bed.

"What about truth-truth-lie?" Jaune spoke next. "My sisters and I played that many times!" Of course, he didn't mention he didn't always partake _voluntarily_ in that game.

"I don't think I've heard of that one." Nicolaus remarked. "Mind explaining-"

"OR!" Nora exclaimed with a wild grin that didn't bode well. "What about interrogating our lovely new couples! We gotta get 'em to share stuff with us! The juicier, the better!" The grenadier failed to notice Ruby gagging.

Jaune and Pyrrha began fidgeting nervously, knowing too well where this would go. As much as they loved Nora, they knew she was a _menace_ whose idea of 'fun' could be a hazard to people's health, be it physical or mental...

"Oh God no..." Roland groaned, obviously not liking the direction things were taking. He was by no means looking forward to disclosing the details of his love life. Nora wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, hell no; she'd get him to spill one way or another.

Suddenly he found himself pulled into a tight hug. "It's okay, Gunny; don't ya worry, I'll protect you." Yang giggled... as did the rest of the gang, seeing the position the gunman was in.

The right side of his face was pressed right into her generous bust. Sure, guys would kill to be in his shoes right now and frankly, he didn't find it in himself to protest... but this was _so not_ the time. That blond devil was doing this on purpose, he was sure of that.

And as if the situation couldn't be any more embarrassing, the door slammed open and a tall grizzled man, wearing a grey shirt, black pants and a red cape stumbled inside.

While the rest of the room's occupants greeted the newcomer with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Roland could literally feel the blood draining away from his face.

 _Qrow Branwen... fuck._

And the rather suggestive position he found himself in didn't help in any way.

"Huh, nobody told me there was a party goin' on." The veteran Huntsman slurred as he took in the sight before him, completely ignoring the fact that Ruby had latched onto his neck. "And no booze; that ain't the way to go, kids."

Emery leaned towards Nicolaus. "How that guy hasn't gotten himself killed yet, I have no idea." His Faunus partner could only agree.

When Qrow's red eyes finally rested on Yang and her boyfriend, said boyfriend didn't make a single sound, hoping he'd go unnoticed. Roland could literally feel his heart trying to escape from his chest. No wonder; Qrow was absolutely terrifying... He was the guy that wielded a scythe like if it were an extension of his body and was a _beast_ on the battlefield, even when drunk... _especially_ when drunk. As someone who dated the said beast's niece, Roland felt he had the right to be afraid.

Much to his relief, Qrow only rolled his eyes at the snuggling couple. "Keep it to the bedroom, you two; Ruby doesn't need to see this." He said as the rest of the students laughed.

"Come on, Qrow; we're keeping it PG... for now at least." Yang countered with a mischievous smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Branwen scoffed. "Try not to break your boy toy too soon, okay?"

"You got it!"

"I'm not a boy toy..." Roland muttered to himself. He was grateful to be finally released from Yang's firm hold, though not much...

"So... is there something we can do for you?" Jaune asked. "'Cause I don't think you're after a friendly banter, no offense." He wasn't that far from the truth; with Branwen it was always about work.

"Well, you got it, kid." Qrow answered readily, making a gun gesture with his right hand. "Sorry to break up your little party here but Goodwitch asked me personally to fetch all of you to her office and she doesn't take 'no' for an answer."

"Ugh, really?" Tanya groaned. "We weren't _that_ loud, okay?"

"Nah, it has nothin' to do with this." Qrow shook his head. "Duty calls, an' you know what that means."

For the next few moments a dead silence reigned in the room... until Ruby heaved a sigh. "Well, it was good while it lasted. Let's go, guys."

"Leave your weapons here, this is just a debriefing." Qrow said as the students simultaneously got up and headed for the door. "Goodwitch's gonna explain everything."

* * *

"I'm glad you could make it here on such short notice." The Acting headmistress Goodwitch adressed the ten hunters in training plus Qrow before her.

"It was no problem." Tanya replied, glancing subtly around the office.

Empty plastic cups littered on the table, stacks of papers occupying nigh every free spot in the room and various objects strewn across the floor; all of this signified that something was off. Amongst other things, such as being the by-the-book kind of woman, Goodwitch was renown for her meticulousness and she was obsessed with keeping her office clean at any circumstances. It was so unlike her to have such mess at her workplace.

But should she feel surprised, given how much things changed just months ago?

The Acting headmistress herself looked like she went through hell lately. Her hair was a mess, her glasses were gone, her blouse wrinkled _and_ her boots were off; without them she was noticeably shorter. Tanya never claimed to be an expert at this sort of thing but she could tell Goodwitch was _exhausted_. Not even the best make up could mask the dark bags under her eyes, which looked unusually dull.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your rest, but we have a situation; a serious one, at that."

"Yeah, another mission." Roland drawled. "Where do we go and what are the objectives?"

Goodwitch cast a glare at him. "This isn't like _every other_ mission you took part in, Mr. Peregrine." The professor said tiredly. "First of all, I've always followed the rule of interacting with students only on a need-to-know basis. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be obliged to share any of this with you. Alas, the lot of you saw first hand what we're up against. It would make no sense to keep this away from you."

Ruby frowned. "Excuse me but where are you going with this, professor?"

Goodwitch sighed deeply. "I've been in contact with other Hunter academies and with Atlas military, and only hours ago I've received some disturbing reports."

"What reports?" Jaune asked and instantly received a slap on the back of his head from Qrow.

"Glynda's getting' to it so shut up."

"Now that there won't be any more interruption, let's get down to business." The professor continued. "I think you all are familiar with the aims of the current incarnation of White Fang, and by that I mean its Vale chapter, which recently adopted a new name: _Red Talon._ The way I see it, it signifies a complete departure from the peaceful principles of the original White Fang and overall, it means nothing good for humankind, or most Faunus. The more unsettling thing is that Red Talon will most likely attempt to spread their radical ideology to the Fang branches in Mistral, Vacuo or Atlas, or even stage a coup." She paused. "Some of my informants believe it is happening already."

"And if they succeed, we'll be dealing with a full scale war." Tanya whispered, dread creeping into her voice. "God, this is bad..."

"It's good to see you understand the gravity of the situation." Goodwitch nodded. "Available intelligence seems to suggest that the island of Menagerie is among the Talon's first targets. I suspect the Talon will attempt to depose Chieftain Belladonna and install some of their officers in his place." The professor paused when she noticed the shocked expressions of her guests. "Is something the matter?"

"Um, excuse me, but..." Yang stammered out. "Did you say _Belladonna?!_ "

"I did, as in Ghira Belladonna. He is Blake's father." Goodwitch sighed. "I'm sorry but so far we haven't caught a single trace of your teammate, Miss Xiao Long, and neither did Mr. Belladonna. She might either be in hiding or... or no longer alive. We do not know."

Yang hung her head, clenching her fists. She relaxed slightly when Roland wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"My point is, that taking control of Menagerie would be a significant victory for Talon. As you all know, the population of Menagerie consists mostly of Faunus and after the Vale crisis, most Faunus from the city sook refuge there." The professor scowled. "This makes Menagerie an ideal place for recruitment-"

"Or taking slaves." Nicolaus added, his voice filled with venom. "We can't allow this to happen."

"I concur, Mr. Flamme. The Fang's position in Vacuo was weakened substantially after its violent turn and as far as we know, the leader of the Fang chapter in Mistral had severed all contacts with Red Talon." Goodwitch explained. "I'm convinced that Atlas and Menagerie are Talon's primary targets and given the sheer size of Atlesian armed forces and their state-of-the-art equipment and weaponry, the first target would be quite obvious. However, that's not all."

"What else is there, professor?" Pyrrha spoke up.

"I believe we managed to track down Cinder Fall and her associates."

"You're welcome, by the way." Qrow snorted, ignoring Goodwitch's hard look.

"Where is she?!" Tanya demanded hotly. After what happened during that fateful night, she couldn't wait for a rematch against the infamous Red witch. And needless to say the others also fancied the chance to take down a woman that orchestrated perhaps the worst mass murder in post-war history.

"Careful with that attitude, Miss Griffon." The professor warned. "Cinder Fall is an extremely powerful individual, as you have _seen and_ _experienced_ first hand. If you spring head first into the battle with her, you'll only get yourself killed."

"So what we're supposed to do, then?" Roland questioned. "I don't care how powerful she is, that _bitch_ needs to pay for what she did!"

Goodwitch shook her head, not even slightly bothered by his choice of words. "And she will, but our actions against her need to be carefully planned. We can't afford to act recklessly, otherwise people will die!"

That seemed to dampen the students' enthusiasm a bit.

"What do we know about her? What is she planning? And why Mistral?" Ruby asked.

"As much as I loathe admitting it, Cinder's motivation remains a huge unknown to us." The professor said. "All we know is that she specifically targets authorities, particularly Huntsman academies, as evidenced by her speech during the Grimm invasion."

Everyone heard the message she relayed through the hacked communications. They all assumed it was just her way of inciting even more panic... But would it really hint at her future plans? What Goodwitch said did make sense, but there were likely many things they didn't know about.

"We also have reasons to think Cinder doesn't actually act on her own." She continued. "Alas, we don't know who she receives the orders from, or what their end goal is. However, her actions are bound to cause major disruptions and chaos which will only attract more monsters, as it did in Vale City. We can't have a repeat of what happened here, otherwise the consequences would be... catastrophic, spanning across Kingdoms and continents."

Vale City disaster was bad enough; thousands of people dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, a whole city in ruins. If such thing was to happen again and no one could stop it... the society would collapse in the following upsurge of fear and chaos. It would be every man for himself, and all of them defenseless against monsters lurking in the dark. Only a complete lunatic would willingly bring about an apocalypse such as this.

"We need to stop her."

At that moment, Qrow couldn't feel any more proud of his little niece.

"What?" Jaune gaped at the fellow team leader. "You mean us? But- What can we do? We're barely out of our freshman year!"

"You children are far more capable than you give yourself credit for."

All pairs of eyes in the room simultaneously turned to professor Goodwitch.

"I cannot say why but Ozpin saw something special in all of you. Honestly, as someone who is strictly against playing favorites, I found it quite infuriating." She chuckled weakly. "It wasn't until much later, when I finally started to see what he meant. It wasn't that long ago when you were but a group of teenagers standing at the gates of this school, filled with naive dreams of fame and glory and convinced that you'd conquer the world, while in fact you had no idea whatsoever of what awaited you. And look where you are _now._ "

"In your office, prof!" Nora blurted out with a grin, prompting Ren to smack his forehead. _Way to ruin the moment..._

Goodwitch knew better than to react to this random outburst.

"I've seen many hunters in training come and go during my time at the Academy and only few of them could boast achievements such as yours. Stopping an attack on Faunus rights demonstrators, preventing a major Dust robbery in the docks, putting your lives on the line to contain the first breach, uncovering a covert manipulation of the Vytal tournament; I could go on and on-"

"Yet we failed miserably at keeping monsters out of the city." Tanya grumbled, staring at her feet.

The professor heaved a sigh. "True, but to be fair, we were all set up for failure from the beginning and we did the best we could in the given situation. However, it was mainly thanks to your effort, and that of guest students that we managed to save so many. Not to mention your recent work at thwarting the Talon's operations."

"That's nice and all, but..." Ruby said, not appearing even slightly convinced. "I know you're gonna ask us to deal with Cinder and this 'Red Talon' but- Aren't there people better suited for something like this?"

Much to her surprise, Goodwitch chuckled. "Such modesty coming from someone who slew an enormous Primordial Grimm all by herself, just to save her friend's life; I find it almost... _laughable._ "

The crimsonette went red in the face just like her namesake.

"Seriously, though, I'm not asking this of you simply because we can't send anyone else." The professor continued with a serious expression. "I realize it might sound absolutely ludicrous... but something tells me you can actually succeed at stopping whatever calamity is headed our way." She leaned on the table. "I'm not forcing you into any of this; it's your choice whether you step up to this task or not. But know that I wouldn't be speaking with you if I didn't think you could succeed."

The silence that reigned in the office was almost deafening. The students glanced at one another, as if exchanging silent words. The professor understood; this was a difficult decision, one that might get them hurt in the end. She took no pleasure in having to send _children_ away into a battle that might decide the fate of the world. Their enemy was dangerous, ruthless and would never take pity on them. But Ozpin believed in those students for some reason... and that must've meant _something._

After what seemed like an eternity, Ruby Rose took a step forward.

"Okay, guys." She said in a shaky voice. "Call me crazy if you want but- I'm gonna do this. If any of you don't want to take part in this mission, speak now!"

And silence fell once more.

Goodwitch couldn't help it but feel amazed. She expected at least someone to voice their disapproval... but no such thing happened.

"I take it no one wishes to stay behind?"

No answer.

"I guess that settles it." Qrow spoke up. "Since everyone's on board with your plan, Glyn, I suggest I take my nieces and the Junipers to Mistral."

"So you're coming with us?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Well, yeah but mostly I'll be scouting ahead, so don't count on me holdin' your hands along the way." Qrow smirked, ruffling her hair.

"What about Griffon and her boys?" Yang questioned.

"Team TNDR should head to Menagerie-"

The blonde stiffened and her expression fell. Her boyfriend reacted the same way.

"The Faunus there are suspicious of humans and since Flamme is a Faunus, obviously, it might help their case there. Just sayin'." Branwen continued. "Once their business there is done, they can meet us in Haven Academy... so don't you worry about never seeing your boy toy again, Yang."

"Ugh, you're the worst." Yang grumbled to herself, earning a chuckle from her uncle.

No one noticed the curious glint in Tanya's eyes.

"When do we leave?" Jaune asked.

"The sooner, the better; we're running out of time." Goodwitch stated. "We'll have two VTOLs waiting for you on the landing pad tomorrow at 9 AM. I remind you that being late is out of the question."

"That's sooner than I expected." Pyrrha remarked.

"In that case I suggest you start packing up tonight." Qrow shot back. "We're on a tight schedule as it is and I expect you to keep up."

"I'll be sure to give all of you more specific information tomorrow before you leave." The Acting headmistress Goodwitch spoke, drawing the students' attention once again. "Remember, this mission is much unlike what any of you have faced before. You'll be likely to stand against people that won't hesitate to kill you, and encounter creatures the likes of you've never see before. This is no controlled scenario; you'll be dealing with many unknowns and a single mistake might cost you your life. I want you to be aware of this at all times."

A series of frantic nods was the only response. _At least they know this isn't a game anymore._

"With that being said, I will give you no rules of engagement and only one order; do not hesitate to do whatever it takes to keep yourselves alive." The professor exhaled deeply. "This meeting is adjourned. We'll speak more tomorrow. Go now and have a proper rest, you're going to need it."

* * *

 _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)____


	2. A1 C1) Parting ways

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 1 – Parting ways

About an hour passed since the meeting with Goodwitch... and the shock still hadn't worn off yet.

It wasn't that long ago when the Beacon gang, JNPR, TNDR and the sisters, were having a small party at TNDR's room, having a good time for once. Then uncle Qrow barged in and everything changed. Now they were supposed to fly off on a new mission next day... One that could drag on for weeks, months even, and which could be more difficult and dangerous than anything they did before. It wasn't like none of them saw this coming at all. These days, every student at Beacon woke up every morning knowing that they could be sent into the field at any time.

Still, this was way too sudden, especially for a matter of such gravity.

Once the Acting headmistress ended the meeting, the hunters in training went back to their separate rooms to make preparations for the next journey, their moods falling quickly.

TNDR's room was a mess. The floor was littered with confetti and crumbs. Tables were heavy with snacks that no one ate as everyone simultaneously lost their appetite and various board and card games were left where they lay since no one wanted to play any more. Adding to that, there were clothes and other kinds of personal items littered all over the place as team TNDR was hurriedly packing up for their next mission.

That alone brought multiple dilemmas with it. _What to pack? How much to pack? What can we leave at Beacon? What do we absolutely need? Can all of this really fit into this tiny backpack? Is there a chance to shop where we're going? Do I really need_ three sets _of underwear?_

Admittedly, the last one was specific to the only female member, and the leader of the team.

"Hey, guys?" Tanya said tentatively, staring at a heap of clothes before her. "How much do you think I should pack?" She was by no means crazy about clothes, not like Coco Adel; if given a chance, that girl would take the whole damn wardrobe with her. Nevertheless, Tanya was still a girl, and like every other girl, she liked to have a little variety when it came to clothing. The critical point: what counted as 'little'...

Roland, the sharpshooter of team TNDR, gave her a look. "Are you seriously asking that question?"

"Well, you mustn't forget you need to take some ammo with you. And since you use some special cartridges, you might want to stock up on 'em." Nicolaus butted in before the girl could retort. "Beside that, I think a backup for everything you'll be wearing might be enough; shirt, pants, socks, undies, that kind of thing. Then again, I don't have much to pack, really. Years of living on the streets kinda do that to you."

"Well, that might be a problem 'cause I can't imagine myself wearing the same damn outfit for weeks!" Tanya ranted. "I mean, when it gets dirty and soaked with sweat and stuff- I don't even know if we get a chance to have a wash on this mission and I'm gonna feel like a disgusting slob and I hate it already!"

"Well, that's the life of a Huntress to you." Roland joked. "No one said it would be all sunshine and rainbows, so we all might as well get used to being gross and disgusting."

Tanya huffed in displeasure but proceeded to sift through the pile at her feet. Only one backup for each article of clothing... she couldn't even _begin_ to imagine that. But she had no choice but to start learning to make do with very little.

Silence fell for a while as the students were busy packing up for their mission... until Emery broke it with a question. "Guys, what do you think?"

"About what?" Nicolaus asked.

"I mean the mission." The sword-wielding giant elaborated. "I know I didn't think much of it at first but isn't it kinda weird that Cinder and the rest of them bad guys only start acting now? It would make sense for 'em to keep attacking us 'till Beacon was out of the picture, right?"

"Maybe they needed to lie low for a while, just to cover their tracks." Nicolaus suggested.

"But why?" Roland questioning, pausing his preparations. "Whether we like it or not, Cinder and the Fangers had us on the ropes that evening; one more push and we'd all be done for." He hated saying that but they all were extremely lucky to survive the onslaught given their enemy had the upper hand in almost every aspect.

"Maybe Cinder-doll and co. aren't as strong as they'd like us to believe." Tanya mused, earning a few chuckles over her nickname for the witch in red. "Sure, they're still dangerous; I mean not just anyone can manipulate a group of anti-human extremists into destroying a whole damn city. But if they were so powerful why would they even want to go into hiding instead of finishing us off? Ever since Vale city fell, we never heard a thing about Cinder."

"And the Fang seems to have its own goals which might not really align with hers." Nicolaus added.

" _Exactly,_ which makes me think that Cinder, her cronies and whoever the hell she works for aren't all that powerful. Sure, they're master manipulators that take every opportunity to advance their cause, whatever that is, but if they have to depend on other parties to enact their plans, that must mean they don't have their own manpower." She finished.

"That makes sense, but..." Roland frowned as he remembered something. "Pyrrha told me she saw Cinder command that huge wyvern-like Grimm. If that's true, it means huge trouble for us. I mean, come on, Grimm are a power unlike any other."

"Let's hope that's not true." The team leader sighed. The little detail Roland mentioned pointed out a huge hole in her logic. "Then again, no one knows how the Grimm fall into all this."

"When I think about it, we don't know almost anything about this Red witch." Emery spoke up. "What she's planning, or who she works for, who her allies are, of where she got those weird powers from... But we're still going on a mission to stop her and the Red Talon." He shook his head. "We're heading head-first into an unknown territory and I don't like it."

"Yeah... and Goodwitch seems to know that, too." Roland pointed out. "You remember what she said during the meeting? That thing about 'doing whatever it takes to stay alive?'"

His teammated nodded simultaneously.

"To me it sounded like if she was giving us a permission to _kill_ if necessary." Nicolaus mused. He was very familiar with the kind of situations where his choices were either 'kill' or 'be killed.' With how things had been going lately, there was no doubt that circumstances would force him to kill sooner or later. He never took pleasure in having to take a life but he was always ready for such eventuality.

It was a dog-eat-dog world out there...

Emery killed, too, albeit in self-defense; last time it was when a bunch of goons, hired by Dr. Todd Engell, the boss of the new incarnation of Project Ajax (another problem to watch out for), tried to kidnap him from the campus. Needless to say, it didn't end well for them.

Roland also had blood on his hands... _too much,_ in his opinion. None of it was innocent, since all his victims without exception were White Fang members, and those guys were no saints. Still, Nicolaus found himself unsettled by the sharpshooter's willingness to use lethal force. Roland was by no means a bloodthirsty maniac and he did exercise restraint when the situation demanded it, most of the time... yet Nicolaus worried about him nonetheless. He wasn't taking well all the horrors they saw in White Fang camps; how long and how much of all that until it broke him?

As for his team leader, he had no idea if she ever killed someone... but Tanya was one of the strongest people he'd ever met. He watched her tame the air itself with her Semblance and bounce back from an injury that nearly left her crippled for life and he didn't doubt that she wouldn't hesitate to use lethal force if necessary.

And something was telling him that on the mission that awaited them, they'd all be forced to push themselves to their limits, just to survive. A true baptism of fire, one might say...

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too." Roland murmured, bringing the fox Faunus back to the reality. "But the whole time we've been at Beacon, they taught us to protect people. And now we're supposed to _kill_ them! Some of us won't be ready for that... Look at Jaune, for example; the guy's a hopeless idealist, he wouldn't hurt a fly. Same with Pyrrha and Ruby, and she's only sixteen, for pity's sake! And while frankly, Nora can be fucking _terrifying_ , I just can't picture her kill somebody. because Our enemies won't stop until we're all dead and I can't help it but wonder if our scruples won't get all of us killed."

"We'll get through this," Tanya reassured. "We always do." In these last six months, they all had experienced some tough fights and the missions against the Fang in Vale were a stuff of nightmares. Yet they made it through; true, maybe a bit drained, both physically and mentally, but it didn't stop them from keeping up the fight.

Still, there was a real possibility that the next journey might prove to be too much for them...

"I know we can handle this, but... The only other team that fought the Fang as much as we did was disbanded months ago, and the Junipers just don't have that kind of experience." Roland argued. "They'll be in the thick of things while we'll be thousands of miles away, sipping tea and chatting away with Menagerie's chieftain. What if they get hurt simply because _we weren't there?_ "

"You know as well as us that Junipers and the sisters can take care of themselves." Nicolaus said. "I mean, they have the Iron maiden, the Silver-eyed warrior, whose sister single-handedly blew up a nightclub – you, of all people, should know that, by the way – that has to mean something, right?"

His remark earned a few chuckles from the rest. It wasn't exactly a secret that Yang and Roland were in a relationship, especially given their often public displays of affection which made them a frequent target of gossips. Not that they cared, of course...

"And what makes you think our time in Menagerie will be a breeze?" Emery pointed out. Roland had no good answer to that.

"It most likely won't," Tanya said. "I'm pretty sure the Talon will be there already, preparing their-"

She was interrupted when the door swung open.

Ruby Rose stepped inside the room, greeting its occupants with a strained smile. Like about anyone else, she also was still coping with having to leave on an unexpected, and possibly dangerous quest.

"Hey, Ruby." Tanya greeted her fellow leader. "I guess you're all packed and ready to go?"

"Yeah, almost. It sure wasn't easy, though." Ruby replied, plopping down on a nearby chair. "Qrow told us to pack essentials only cuz we'll need to move around quickly. I spend nearly an hour thinking what I should pack..."

"Yeah, we know the pain." Roland chuckled.

"And don't even get me started on Yang; she kept going on about how she'd take care of her hair without all the shampoos and crap..."

The rest of them chuckled at Ruby's complaints. "That sounds like the Yang we know." Emery remarked with a smirk.

" _Anyway,_ " Ruby suddenly changed the topic, her voice taking on a brighter tone. "Junipers are gonna hang out with us in our room. Wanna join in, like the last get-together before we leave tomorrow?"

Members of team TNDR glanced at one another, nodding slightly as they came to a silent concensus. "That sounds good," Tanya spoke for her teammates. "Just give us a few minutes to finish packing."

* * *

The 'few minutes to finish packing' had turned into near half an hour. But shortly after, the entire gang sat in RWBY's room, enjoying the last time together before going off wherever their chase after Cinder would take them. Ren even decided to make it special by making his famous pancakes; a luxury that none of them would get to enjoy for a good few weeks, at the very least.

Though the students were having a good time, it was plain to see it just wasn't the same like at the surprise party a couple hours ago; jokes and laughs were somewhat forced and all the smiles were a bit strained, too. Despite their best effort, they simply couldn't forget about their next journey and all possible dangers awaiting them.

Despite all that, the young hunters in training were determined to enjoy their last evening together before being thrown into yet another great battle.

"Do you guys remember that food fight in the mess hall, before the tournament?" Ruby chirped.

"Sure I do." Tanya deadpanned. "We got our asses kicked because you guys wanted to duke it out between yourselves and didn't want to let us in on the action." That day, RWBY and JNPR teamed up against TNDR, eliminating them from the fight only to face off against each other. Talk about fair fight...

"Well, at least you didn't have to clean up the mess hall like we did." The crimsonette pointed out.

"I imagine that whole affair must've done _wonders_ to your reputation." Nicolaus smirked. His remark prompted a few chuckles from the rest.

"You don't know the half of it, boy!" Yang chortled. "The famous Invincible girl destroying a cafeteria? Tabloids would have a field day with that!"

"Honestly, I'm beyond caring at this point." Pyrrha admitted. The champion of Sanctum had become a lot more outspoken lately. When she first came to Beacon, she used to be overly polite to just about anyone, carefully weighing her words so that she wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings. Now, while being far from rude, she rarely shied from openly expressing her feelings and opinions.

"And don' even get me started on Weiss!" Nora butted in, her mouth stuffed with pancakes. "She wouldn't stop bitching for a whole day!" She pointedly ignored Ren's warning of 'Language!' "Goin' on about how it was 'undignified, demeaning' and 'below her standing' and crap-"

"Speaking of which, how do you guys think Weiss is doing these days?" Emery asked.

"Not well, from what we know." Ruby shrugged. "She sneaked a few letters out to us since leaving for Atlas but it was a few months since the last one. But I can say she pretty much _hated_ being back home. Her dad wouldn't even let her leave his mansion."

"Sounds more like a fancy prison." Jaune remarked.

"No wonder she didn't want to leave Beacon." Roland muttered. He still had the the first letter from her saved on his Scroll.

"Think we should visit her after- After this whole mess is over?"

"I dunno, we'd probably have to break into Schnee manor for that." Tanya thought over Nora's suggestion. "Might be dangerous..." Her lips curled upward in a grin. "But I'm not one to refuse a challenge!"

"Of course you wouldn't, Tan!" Roland snorted. "You almost got kicked out of school for all the shit you pulled, just to prove to everyone you weren't a chicken!"

"Heh, those were good times." His partner said with an almost dreamy expression.

"I _almost_ don't want to know." Ren grimaced slightly.

"Then don't ask; we need at least one sane person on our team!" Jaune joked.

"Excuse me?" Pyrrha explained with a look of fake offense. "How dare you insinuate that I'm-" Much to her surprise, she was silenced by a slice of pancake thrust straight into her open mouth.

"Hush, my dear partner and have some of this!" Jaune grinned impishly, preparing another piece. "You'll need your strength tomorrow!" Pyrrha glared at him half-heartedly but gave in soon and let her boyfriend feed her.

"Don't spoil her too much, Jaune!" Tanya snickered.

The scene gave a certain rifleman an idea because he turned to Yang with the most innocent expression he could muster (and which was so out of place on someone like him) and said in a child-like voice. "Mommy, feed me!"

The surprise on Yang's face lasted only a moment. Her expression morphed very soon into an impish smirk. "In front of everyone, boy? _Really?_ " The blonde said in a low voice, making a show of slowly unbuttoning her jacket and uncovering her enormous bust, only concealed by a tight tank top. It was all too clear what the implication was and the onlookers started chuckling... except Roland, whose eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock, as his own joke was so masterfully turned against him.

And Ruby, who grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at Yang, nailing her right in the face. "Keep all that gross stuff to yourself! We don't need to see that!"

Yang simply laughed at her blushing, spluttering little sister. "Oh, you're too innocent for your own good, sis!"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "And were that to change, would you let that happen?"

"Not unless her suitor gets my personal stamp of approval!"

"Oh really?" Roland deadpanned. "Wouldn't that be just a punch in the face?" The whole room simultaneously began guffawing as he delivered the _punch_ -line. Even Yang, who still slugged him in the shoulder.

After the laughter died down, Ren checked his Scroll. "It's getting pretty late, we should probably wrap this up, guys. We all have a busy day tomorrow."

The moment he said that, the mood soured somewhat. "Please, don't remind me." Yang grumbled.

"No, Renny! It's too soon to quit!" Nora pouted.

"Hate to say it but Ren has a point." Jaune sighed. "We're supposed to be at Beacon's landing pad in 9 a.m., right? It would take us an hour at least to get ready, including getting a breakfast, and some of us need their morning shower, too... Which means we'd have to get up at 7:30, _at least._ And- What time did you say it was, Ren?"

"Well past 10 p.m."

"It might be best to go to sleep soon, just so we won't look _and_ feel half-dead tomorrow." Pyrrha joked. Her smile was visibly strained, though.

"Yeah, you're right." Tanya conceded. "But I still wish that we could stay like this a bit longer. Me and the boys might not see you guys for weeks after we leave tomorrow."

"Then we better make use of whatever time we got left!" Ruby butted in, always the cheerful optimist. "Anyone up for a quick game of cards?"

* * *

The 'quick game of cards' dragged on well past 11 p.m. It was only thanks to Ren's warning that they didn't go to sleep after midnight; they guy did like his sleep, after all. Still, none of them seemed to mind that their fun cut into their precious sleeping time and they'd likely keep going if it weren't for Goodwitch's wrath in case they overslept. It felt good to just relax and have a good time without thinking about whatever tomorrow might bring. Oum knows there was enough misery in the world around them...

But like all things in the world, even their fun had to end.

Eventually the company of hunters in training parted, bidding good night to one another before retreating to their respective rooms.

Except for a certain sharpshooter who remained in RWBY's room, even as the rest of the gang was off preparing to go to sleep.

Being the only one in the room beside Yang, Roland was unsure what to say. His girlfriend sat on the other end of the bed that used to belong to Blake; her legs pulled close to her body, she didn't say a word, staring dead ahead with a faraway look in her eyes.

The gunman knew why she acted this way. It was the tomorrow's mission to Mistral; the gang would head out looking for their greatest enemy, no doubt exposing themselves to great perils. That wouldn't be the worst thing, though; it was knowing that, thanks to the circumstances, he wouldn't get to see Yang for weeks. The thought of being apart for so long didn't sit well with either of them.

He wished for Yang to say something, anything. The dead silence was driving him crazy.

"I hate this." She finally said, so quietly it was difficult to hear.

"I know." Roland knew what she meant.

"I can't believe they'd split us up like that!" Yang threw her arms up helplessly. "I don't like going out there not knowing if you're alright!"

"You don't have to worry so much, Yang. We can take care of ourselves."

"And what if you can't? We don't even know for sure what we're up against!" Yang challenged. "What if we're walking into a trap? Like that time during the Festival?"

He grimaced involuntarily at the reminder of that day... The ambush by White Fang was something he'd never forget; it cost him his arm and almost his life, too.

"Believe it or not, but sometimes I still see you in that hospital bed, looking at me like if you were literally dead inside! Do you know what it'd do to me if I had to go through that _again?_ " Yang was on her hands an knees, leaning forward as she shouted in his face. "Orders be damned, I'd go with you if it didn't mean leaving my little sister! Can you imagine how I'll feel while you're thousands of miles away doing Oum-knows-what in some wasteland?"

Her eyes were turning red; Roland would be scared out of his wits if it weren't for the tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I'm tired of seeing everyone leave! First it was Raven, then Summer, then Blake... I nearly died trying to save her and she just up and left without as much as saying goodbye! I don't even know if she's alive! _I can't stand the thought of losing anyone else!_ "

His mind drifted four months back, to the day when Yang told him about her complicated family relations. Her biological mother, Raven, abandoned her soon after she was born, leaving her with her dad Taiyang and Summer, his teammate from Beacon and wife, who soon became a motherly figure to her, a 'supermom' as Yang fondly called her. Two years later, Summer gave birth to Ruby, the 'baby sis' Yang adored so much. Unfortunately, their happiness didn't last; in four years, Summer would depart on a mission one day, never to return. Her death broke the family; Taiyang became crippled by depression, leaving Yang to take care of her sister.

Ever since learning the truth about her origins, Yang didn't stop searching for her real mother, even putting her sister in danger because of it, as she admitted in shame. It wasn't out of affection, but to get answers. Why did she leave? Toss her aside like if she were but a piece of refuse? Alas, she hasn't had any luck until today. As Qrow, Raven's twin brother told her, Raven was a dangerous woman and unless she wanted to be found, Yang wouldn't see her again, ever.

Back in reality, Roland didn't see an angry flaming menace that could break people in half if she wanted to. Right now, Yang was just a traumatized girl, fearful of being abandoned, again.

A girl that just needed a _goddamned_ hug.

Yang went completely stiff when he threw his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her first instict was to fight back but all her anger and grief seemed to evaporate and she allowed him to pull her down onto the bed.

"It's okay, Sunshine; I'm not going anywhere." He whispered into her ear. _Cheater, using that damnable nickname..._ It was impossible to stay mad after _that._ "Not even a whole goddamn Grimm army would keep me away from you."

Despite the situation, Yang actually laughed and hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. "Gunny, we know you already cheated death once but don't push your luck, please."

"That goes for you, as well." She felt his hand, the one of flesh and blood, gently rub circles along her back. "We still have a bit of time before Ruby comes back and throws me out... Is there anything you want me to do? Anything at all?"

Oh there was a great deal of things she'd want from him, and the lewd part of her mind had already strayed into the territory filled with all sorts of 'bedroom adventures.' It was near six months since Yang and Roland got together but they both agreed to take things slow, wanting to get truly comfortable with each other before getting intimate. That, and Yang wasn't nearly as sexually experienced as she made others believe. Even though she thoroughly enjoyed teasing the hell out of her boyfriend, the two of them haven't moved past kissing and cuddling. The closest they ever got to sex was the one time in the shower a couple weeks back when they saw one another nude for the first time and even dared explore each other's bodies. There was nothing beyond that, however, no matter how often Yang thought about going further... and she was pretty sure Roland felt the same.

Maybe one day she'd be willing to experience all the pleasures that came with sex... _but not tonight._ Right now, all she wanted was simply for him to be with her, to feel him by her side.

The gunman was taken by surprise when Yang sealed his mouth with hers. Though he began kissing back almost instantly, nibbling softly at her lower lip and eliciting a low groan from her.

He was slightly disappointed when Yang pulled back.

"Stay with me, for the night." _… before we part ways tomorrow;_ words that were left unsaid. Ruby would not be happy, knowing that her big sis and her boyfriend might be doing 'gross stuff' literally five feet away from her while she was sleeping... But Yang couldn't care less right now. She needed this.

Roland chuckled at her request, which was actually worded more like a demand. "That can be arranged, my fair lady." He said in an exaggerated suave tone, following with another kiss, one she eagerly returned.

Yeah, she could totally get used to a treatment like this.

* * *

The morning came faster than anyone would've liked and the weather as if reflected the mood of the young hunters in training that were to leave Beacon for a lengthy mission that would take them thousands of miles away to another continent.

It was a cold fall morning. The skies were clouded over and there was a slight chill in the air, a sign of winter soon to come. Although it didn't rain, every now and then a few droplets fell from the sky.

The path leading to the landing pads would be usually empty, but things were different now.

A large group of students, accompanied by a couple of professors, walked towards the landing pad where a couple of Bullheads sat, ready to take off.

Qrow Branwen led the whole group, his blade strapped to his back. He carried a cane that belonged to the late Headmaster; even though it seemed rather strange, no one questioned him about it.

The leader of late team RWBY, Ruby Rose, stuck to his side. Although retaining her signature red cloak and black boots, Ruby swapped her black dress for a white blouse with dark leather wristbands, a black corset with red trims and a black skirt with red tulle reaching down mid-thigh. She also wore thigh-high stockings that left a few inches of skin below the hem of the skirt exposed. The whole outfit seemed to accentuate her womanly curves that only recently started to show and Yang teased her incessantly about it. But right now, Ruby gave it no thought at all.

Her sister, Yang Xiao Long, followed shortly after her, holding hands with her boyfriend. Even she decided to alter her outfit a bit, trading her black short for tight-fitting black leather pants and the jacket with puffy sleeves for a heavy brown coat with long tails. Aside from that, the orange tank top remained, along with the scarf and the bandanna tied around her left knee.

After Qrow and the sisters followed team TNDR. Their appearance hasn't changed much, with a few obvious exceptions.

Roland Peregrine, the expert marksman and Yang's boyfriend, never was one for fashion and opted for simple blue jeans and white undershirt, complemented by several pieces of armor. It consisted of a cuirass protecting both the chest and the back, gauntlets and greaves; it was painted silvery grey with a broad stripe of navy blue running down the chestplate and the front of the greaves. His upper arms and a part of his torso were covered by a black undersuit that came with the armor. It wasn't without purpose, of course; that way, no one could tell that he had a cybernetic right arm.

The team leader, Tanya Griffon, wore her usual outfit minus the boots with high heel. Due to medical reasons, she had to wear special braces, also doubling as boots, that protected her legs in combat. Even though she recovered fully from having both legs broken during the fall of Vale City, the doctors didn't want to take any chances; another similar injury could put her out of combat for good. At first Tanya saw the braces as hindrance but got used to them eventually; they had flat heels though and made her look rather short which she found infuriating...

The remaining members, Nicolaus Flamme and his partner Emery (still known under his made-up name 'Desmond Lenius') wore the same clothes as usual, ever since coming to Beacon. Nicolaus still had his cape, just like Emery still wore his battered old armor.

The last in line was team JNPR, led by one Jaune Arc.

Gone were the days when Jaune was but a fraud with big dreams and little training. Thanks to Pyrrha's training regime, his skill in combat improved considerably. Even if he was kind of lacking compared to the likes of Ruby, Ren, or Tanya, he was a born strategist, which made up for his weaknesses. He still wore the black hoodie and the worn jeans, but had an improved chestplate that also covered his stomach and better gauntlets.

Sticking by his side was his mentor and girlfriend, Pyrrha Nikos. The star from Sanctum hadn't changed all that much appearance-wise. Her armor remained mostly the same, though she added a vambrace on her right arm and leather shoulderpads. Pyrrha also abandoned her large intricate circlet, having her hair pulled into a tight bun, and replaced her sash with a skirt made of broad strips of leather, studded with bronze sheets, that reached down her mid-thigh.

The other half of the team, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, followed a few steps behind them. Their attire was more different. Nora no longer wore the armor on her midriff, trading it for a navy blue bomber jacket, and while she kept her pink skirt and gloves, her white top was different and her pink-and-white boots reached up to her knees. Out of the entire team, Ren changed the most. His long black hair grew out, reaching almost to his rear, and his frame became slightly bulkier. His attire was also different; he wore a sleeveless green coat with long tails and detached purple sleeves, loose white pants and black boots with open toes.

A couple of Beacon's teachers accompanied the hunters in training, namely Acting headmistress Glynda Goodwitch, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck and Professor Peter Port.

The entire column was closed by a couple of staff members that pushed a couple of carts containing the students' weapons and possessions.

While their stuff was being loaded onto the VTOLs, the students gathered around Goodwitch who was giving a few last-minute instructions.

"As I mentioned before, we do not have solid evidence but what little we know suggests that Cinder and her allies are in Mistral, most likely in near proximity to Haven Academy." The professor spoke with a grave expression, looking pointedly at team JNPR and Qrow's nieces. "Once again I must remind you to proceed very carefully when dealing with her. As they proved times before, they won't hesitate to kill you. Mr. Branwen," Qrow grimaced sourly at the title. "is very familiar with the people you're up against so I strongly suggest you follow his lead."

The students nodded frantically.

"As for you," Goodwitch turned to team TNDR. "Your situation will be more difficult since you'll be going without the support of a trained Hunter. Though it's unlikely you'll run into an enemy of Cinder's calibre, the Red Talon is a formidable opposition and you might find yourself half-pressed to keep them at bay, should you run into them in Menagerie. That, I repeat, is a real possibility and you must be prepared accordingly."

"So, we're supposed to do- What, exactly." Tanya questioned. "Tell the Chieftain his life might be in danger and hope he'll believe us?"

"Belladonna might harbor a mild distrust towards humans but he won't question an information that came straight from Beacon Academy." Goodwitch answered. "There are no doubts he still has informants in other Kingdoms; he will know the Talon is a real threat and he won't have a reason to doubt your word, or ours. Let him know we have it on good authority that the Talon will attempt to invade Menagerie and eliminate the Belladonna family."

Roland raised his hand. "Question; what if the Talon is already there when we arrive?"

"Then you must do whatever it takes to stop them from taking over." The professor replied firmly. "After Menagerie is secured, you will move to Mistral City and assist Mr. Branwen and your fellow hunters in training against Cinder."

"Bullheads are ready to take off!" One of the attendants called out.

Goodwitch cleared her throat. "Very well, then. Before you depart there are a few things I'd like to say." Her expression was serious, her posture stiff. "I need to remind you that your enemy will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, whatever those are. They will not think twice about hurting, or _killing_ any one of you. You must give them no quarter; I cannot emphasize that enough."

Oobleck and Port gave curt nods of agreement.

"I know we never taught you that at our Academy but sooner or later you'll be put in a position where your choices will be either _kill or be killed_." The Acting headmistress continued. "If you want to survive, you must not hesitate to _take a life_ to preserve your own."

Right then she saw the expressions of students as her message was starting to sink in. This mission was going to tear the last pieces of their innocence to shreds and Goodwitch hated this. True, it was inevitable and she damn well knew it... still, she wished it didn't come so soon.

"I know your journey will take you to many dark places and make you question everything you've been taught... but don't let these dangers lead you astray. You know- We all know our duty: to protect this world and all people who wish to live their lives peacefully, no matter the species or social standing. Never forget that." Taking a deep breath, she finished her speech. "All I can do now is wish you the best of luck. May the ancestors watch over you wherever you go."

The time had come to part ways.

The professors stood by and watched as members of team TNDR said their goodbyes to their friends and fellow hunters in training. It was an emotional scene where tears were shed, hugs were shared and promises were made to stay safe and meet again.

Even Nicolaus went out of his way to hug his friends that wouldn't follow him to Menagerie, shedding his somewhat reserved demeanor.

Ruby and Nora actually cried during the parting and even Jaune shed a few _manly_ tears.

Yang and Roland shared an intense, almost desperate kiss before the mission would separate them for weeks. _You better come back to me, Peregrine,_ she threatened him, _or I'll come get you myself and it won't be pretty!_ They all knew it was just a front, even though there was no doubt the blonde boxer would go on a rampage if the gunman got hurt again.

The farewells dragged on for minutes until Oobleck stepped in. Admittedly, the Doctor loathed having to break it up but he needed to remind the young warriors of their mission and tights schedule.

Sharing the last few goodbyes, the hunters in training waved at the Beacon staff members before boarding their respective aircraft, one headed to Menagerie, the other bound for the continent of Anima. Minutes later, the Bullheads took off with a deafening shrill of the engines and flew away, leaving Goodwitch and her fellow professors behind.

The Acting headmistress watched the aircraft fly until they turned into small black dots on the cloudy sky, disappearing behind the horizon.

* * *

Author's note: _Hell yes I'm back,_ kiminocencie63!

 _First off, the updates are gonna be slower (not gonna churn out one chapter every two or three days like other writers do - I don't get how they do that LOL) but I can guarantee one chapter per month as a barest minimum and doing two per month isn't out of the realm of possibility either. I've finally finished Master studies at the college and I'll be looking for a job now. That's gonna cut into my free time but I'll manage... somehow._

 _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_____


	3. A1 C2) Trouble on the high seas

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 2 – Trouble on the high seas

In hindsight, they all should've known better than to expect things to go smoothly.

The very first complication arose when the Bullheads carrying Qrow and the Beacon students landed in Vale City's industrial district, smack in the middle of Atlesian garrison. Moments after the aircraft touched down several Atlesian crewmen rushed in and chased both pilots and passengers out and the cargo was rather carelessly unloaded, ending up in a large disorganized pile.

At first, nobody knew what was going on. Qrow, always suspicious of Atlas, was halfway through unfurling his scythe. Thankfully, the commander of the garrison thought of sending his second-in-command to defuse the situation before it could escalate.

Everything turned out to be a simple misunderstanding, much to everyone's relief.

As it turned out, the Bullheads were only meant to drop them off on Vale City's airport because they had too small a range to reach Menagerie, or Mistral. Qrow and his hunters in training would have to move onto a more suitable aircraft. Humpback easily fulfilled those demands and more. The large bulky plane that was somewhat reminiscent of a 'Bullhead on steroids,' as certain grenadier put it, was faster, could carry a bigger load and its range would allow it to fly to Menagerie and back nonstop.

The thing was, neither Qrow or his company were told about any of this. The Beacon staff assumed that the Bullhead pilots would let them know about the stop at the airport downtown... and in turn, the pilots thought their passengers already knew about it and felt no need to mention it at all. The end result of this miscommunication was a needless scare that could have been easily avoided. Fortunately, there were no other unpleasant surprises after this incident and less than half an hour after the 'unscheduled' landing, both Humpbacks were loaded and ready to take off. This time, there were no farewells as the students were quickly marched aboard their respective aircraft; the Atlesians wanted to send them on their way as quick as possible.

After lifting off, the two transport planes made a single slow circle above the ruined city, flying side by side. Then, the Humpback carrying team TNDR wiggled its wings in a greeting before it separated, heading southeast; the other continued flying eastward, its passengers watching with forlorn expressions as the aircraft with their friends slowly disappeared in the distance.

There was no turning back now; now they all could only move forward.

* * *

Compared to the cramped insides of a Bullhead where passengers would have to stay and sleep among the cargo, ride on a Humpback was much more comfortable. The cargo hold was a separated compartment and the passenger deck, connected to the pilot cabin by a narrow passage, was quite spacious, offering some actual comfort to the people on board unlike the Bullhead. Beside seats and a couple of small folding tables there were also a few cots available to anyone who needed a rest.

Alas, all the aforementioned features could hardly help with one particular problem: boredom.

Menagerie was thousands of miles away; even longer flight than to Mistral. And while Humpback was faster than a Bullhead, in order to achieve the longest possible range it couldn't exceed the air speed of about 250 miles per hour. All of this meant that the flight to Menagerie would last well over 20 hours, give or take.

What was one to do when trapped inside a flying tub of metal for a whole damn day?

The crew of the aircraft, two pilots and a navigator, focused solely on doing their jobs, not even slightly interested in a conversation with the members of team TNDR.

At first, the students tried to make some small talk just to distract themselves from the fact they wouldn't see their friends from JNPR and RWBY for weeks. The fact that communications were still out, rendering it impossible to contact them and see how they were doing, made this all worse. What if something happened and they'd only learn when it was too late to do anything about it?

Casual banter seemed to lighten the mood a bit but it didn't take long before the students ran out of topics. Worse, the tension between them, stemming from their mission and all of its possible dangers, didn't disappear. If anything, the tense atmosphere in the passenger compartment was starting to feel a lot like a beginning of a cabin fever. In the end, the entire team decided to get some sleep, just to keep tempers from escalating.

And so it went like that... for hours; sleep interrupted by short breaks and attempts at a light-hearted conversation that did nothing to alleviate their concerns. The truth was they were all afraid and it was pointless to ignore or deny it.

What would await them in Menagerie? How would a society comprising solely of Faunus react to the presence of humans? Would some try and exact revenge on them for how humankind treated Faunus in the past? Would Chieftain Belladonna even bother listening to _them,_ a couple of human wannabe-Hunters from an Academy that failed to protect a major city from Grimm? Did he even know what happened in Vale?

And the most terrifying question of them all; what if they were late? What if Red Talon had conquered Menagerie already? What if Belladonna was dead and their journey was useless?

Now count in the worries about their friends bound for Mistral – What if they're walking into a trap? What if there's someone else that wants them dead, beside Cinder? What if they run into _another_ huge-ass ancient Grimm? - and it was pretty clear no one would get a peaceful rest.

Not during this flight.

* * *

"Hey! Um, Mr. Pilot, sir? What's our ETA?"

The pilot didn't appear perturbed by the Roland's question... or the banging on the door to the pilot cabin. "We won't be there for another fifteen hours, at least, so settle down!"

The students didn't take the news well... if the annoyed groans were anything to go by.

"Fifteen hours?!" Tanya half-whispered, half-shouted, her expression one of pure disbelief. "You gotta be fucking joking!"

"Never in my life did I think I could ever go mad with boredom," Nicolaus grumbled. "But here I am, facing the very real possibility of _just that._ "

"I know, right?" Emery chimed in, frustration clear in his voice. "We can't do anything besides sleeping when we're stuck here, and we're supposed to endure fifteen more hours of this?!"

" _At least_ fifteen hours." Roland corrected him.

"Not helping, Gunny." Tanya actually growled.

"Hey, it could be worse." Her partner pointed out. "At least we don't have Jaune with us."

The remark earned a few chuckles among those present. Everyone knew about Jaune and his motion sickness that made travelling a real pain, for himself as well as anyone with him. Every ride on an airship ended with the blonde knight being hunched over a paper bag and puking his guts out. Not even pills seemed to help much. Now consider that Junipers, Qrow and his nieces were stuck with him aboard a Humpback for twenty hours, or more...

Things would get _really_ messy, indeed.

"Yeah, right!" The team leader laughed. "How many barf bags you guys think he went through already?"

"No idea," Nicolaus chuckled. "but I wouldn't be surprised if our friends were swimming in Jaune's vomit by now."

Emery gagged at that. "Not funny!" He groaned, struggling to get his queasy stomach under control.

"But really, things are bad enough for them already, even without Jaune and his motion sickness. I dunno how far it is to Mistral from Vale but do you think they'll be able to sit down and do nothing for several hours?" Tanya pointed out. "You know how Ruby and Yang act when they get bored... and don't even get me started on Nora."

Yes, everyone remembered the 'spin-the-bottle' debacle in their first month at Beacon... or the infamous food battle. Pieces of food somehow found their way onto the cafeteria's ceiling.

"Needless to say, those guys are in hell right now." Roland quipped.

Oh yes, the other team had it so much worse.

"You think they listened?"

The gunman tilted his head quizzically at Tanya's question. "To what?"

"I mean what Goodwitch said before we left Beacon." She explained. "Doing what is necessary to survive and stuff; we know what she meant but do _they?_ And are they gonna take it seriously?"

"Let's hope so." Nicolaus said. "We know damn well what's at stake here, what we're up against. And so do they, especially after what happened to Vale City."

"But are they ready to take a life if there's no option?"

"We can never be ready." Emery butted in. "Either you do it, or you don't. And sometimes you don't have a choice. I know I didn't."

"I know they'll do fine." The fox Faunus remarked. "They have Qrow on their side; that has to mean something, right?"

"The scariest drunk on Remnant? I guess so." Tanya chuckled. "But let's just move on from all the depressing stuff, okay? There are some long hours ahead of us and I'd prefer not to mope through all of 'em."

* * *

"'-I'm sorry but you suffer from a terminal illness and have only ten to live'. The patients says, all freaking out: 'What do you mean "ten," doc?! Months? Weeks? Days?!' And the doctor goes: 'Ten... Nine...'"

The cabin exploded with laughter.

In the past few hours, members of team TNDR were telling jokes just to distract themselves from the long and boring flight to Menagerie... or whatever awaited them there. If the pilots were annoyed by the noise coming from behind them, they didn't show it.

"Alright, it's your turn now." Roland said in between laughs. "I'm running out of jokes."

"Okay, I'll give it a shot!" Tanya chirped happily. "So... Two elephants meet a completely naked guy. They watch him for a while and then one says: 'Dude, I don't get how he can feed himself with that thing!'"

A moment of silence... then the audience started roaring with laughter once the punchline sank in.

"We're starting out _strong_ here!" Nicolaus chortled.

As for Roland, the gunman was torn between laughing his head off and gagging at the few _really dirty_ mental images the joke conjured.

 _That kind_ of feat was physically impossible unless you were a contortionist... _or really well endowed down there._

"Like it? 'Cause I got more of 'em!" She smirked. "Here's another one: What's the difference between a paycheck and a penis?"

"What?!" Emery spluttered.

Roland chuckled. "I'll bite; what's the difference?"

"You don't need to beg your wife to blow your paycheck!"

While Roland and Nicolaus guffawed loudly, clutching their stomachs, Emery only stared, shrugging helplessly. "I don't see what's so funny about that."

And laughter suddenly died down.

The rest of the team sat there in silence, exchanging awkward glances until Tanya spoke up. "Emery, are you at all familiar with the concept of sex?"

"Of course I am!" Emery stammered out with a massive blush. "I- I mean, they mentioned it a few times during classes; that it's where babies come from and stuff, that some people actually enjoy it and-"

"A lot of people, actually." The team leader sighed. At least she wouldn't have to give him 'the talk.'

"But I still don't get the joke." The giant blonde frowned.

Roland got up from his seat and approached him. "I'm gonna explain, just don't freak out 'cause it involves stuff that's pretty much _indecent._ "

For a while, the other two students simply watched as the rifleman whispered something into Emery's ear. At first, he simply frowned in confusion... then suddenly his eyes popped open and the blush on his face deepened.

"THAT'S REALLY A THING?!" The rest of them cringed at the sheer loudness of Emery's voice.

"Yes, it is." Tanya replied simply.

"That sounds really gross." Emery grimaced. "I don't get how anyone could like that, especially girls."

"You'd be surprised but guys usually do. And most girls, too; it's a real turn on for both of them." Roland chimed in. Of course, he wouldn't tell him that his knowledge came from watching numerous porn flicks he'd watched. Yep, raging teenage hormones and all that.

"And that's just one of many sexual fetishes, for your information." Tanya added with a saucy smirk.

"Alright, let's move on." Nicolaus butted in. "Don't traumatize the poor guy any more, please."

He didn't notice the rather cross look from his partner.

"I've got a few jokes, too. Don't know if they're any good but here we go." The fox Faunus continued. "'You da bomb!' 'No, you da bomb!' In Atlas it's a compliment. In White Fang base it's an argument."

At first, his teammates stared at him.

Then Roland started chortling loudly, infecting everyone else, and shortly the whole team was roaring with laughter.

"Oh my God, that's horrible!" Tanya giggled helplessly. " _I like that!_ "

"Ren would've loved that one!" Roland concurred, referring Ren's rather dark sense of humor.

"This was less of a joke and more of a real-life experience." Nicolaus said flatly, and the laughing doubled in intensity.

"You know, I find it pretty damn amazing that you can joke about stuff like that, being an ex-White Fang and all that." Roland pointed out.

Before the fox Faunus could answer, the red light in the cabin suddenly went off.

The good mood evaporated in moments. "Well shit, looks like the fun times are over." Tanya grumbled and headed to the pilot cabin. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that things were about to go wrong... and the crew's behavior only seemed to confirm that.

The pilots were no longer relaxed, sitting ramrod straight in their seats and their eyes glued to the instrument panel and the green screen of the radar where a suspicious blob flickered in and out of existence.

"What's going on?" Tanya asked.

"Sensors picked up a suspicious anomaly a while ago." The man with a commander's insignia spoke up, not taking his eyes off the indicators. "About a mile ahead of us, to the south. It seems to be moving in circles."

"Maybe something's messing with our sensors?" The co-pilot offered.

"And what could that be? We're above an open sea, there's literally nothing out there-" Tanya suddenly cut herself off when she noticed a dot appearing on the radar's screen. "What's that?"

"Looks like a vessel, a passenger ship most likely." The navigator answered. "Seems to be heading the same way we are."

"Still, I don't like that... blur thing." The girl frowned. "The way it moves around, like if searching for something..."

"Think it might be a Grimm?" The commander questioned.

"It very well might be," She replied. "Nothing's safe from them, not even oceans."

"We're getting a transmission from the nearby passenger ship!" The co-pilot suddenly exclaimed. "Sir, I think you should hear this." He flicked a switch on the instrument board and a male frantic voice resounded through the cockpit.

" _\- we need assistance! I repeat, this is_ MV Selkie! _We are being under attack by a Sea Feilong! Our on-board weaponry has little effect. Our ship has suffered hull breach in section 3 and is in danger of sinking! We cannot hold out much longer without assistance! Someone! Anyone, please respond!"_

"That sounds urgent..." The navigator remarked. _No shit, Captain Obvious_ , Tanya thought to herself.

"What do we do, sir?"

The commander frowned heavily. "Our own weapons won't do much against something that big."

"Perhaps we could distract it-"

"No! I won't risk our airship fighting a losing battle." The commander immediately shot down the navigator's idea. "Close the channel; let's hope _anyone else_ heard the message."

"Sir?" The co-pilot looked at him questioningly.

"So you're leaving those people to die?" Tanya demanded, outraged by his order. "Are you serious?!"

There were loud footsteps coming from the passenger space. Moments later, Nicolaus and Roland entered the cockpit. That many people made the already small space feel cramped. "What's going on?" The gunman asked.

"There's a ship nearby being attacked by a sea Grimm and those _assholes_ want to ignore it!" Tanya spat out heatedly.

"Look, I have my orders!" The commander protested. "I'm supposed to get you to Menagerie and that's _precisely_ what I intend to do; nothing more and nothing less!"

No one seemed to buy his argument, though.

"So orders are more important than doing the right thing?" Roland snapped back, his expression one of disgust. "Is this what we should expect from you soldiers?"

"I'm in charge here! My bird, my rules!" The commander roared in anger. "And I say I won't put this aircraft and its crew at risk by playing a hero!"

"Do you think you can live with yourself knowing you could've done something to avoid a disaster yet you didn't?" Nicolaus remarked, casting a cold glare at the Atlesian airman.

The commander was prepared to argue back but Tanya stepped forward and grabbed the collar of his uniform. "I've had enough of this bullshit!" She snarled viciously. "You're turning this flying tin can around right now or _so help me_ -"

" _MV Selkie here; we're under attack and suffering heavy damage! Does anyone hear us?!"_ There was a cracking sound coming from the transmitter. The voice then came back. _"Listen, that thing out there has knocked out half of our guns and is snatching my men off the ship without pause! I dunno if anyone hears this trasmission but if you don't do something,_ we're all gonna die!"

A second passed. Then another... though in the given situation, it might as well have been an eternity.

Then the Humpback suddenly tilted to the right, making a sharp turn.

"Setting new course; vector two-five-zero, altitude zero-one-zero." The co-pilot reported, staring dead ahead and refusing to look at his superior who glowered at him with thinly veiled fury.

The navigator only shrugged and pressed a button on the radio. "We read you, MV Selkie, this is C77 of Atlesian Army, designation Sierra-four-seven-nine-dash-two. We'll provide assistance as best as we can. Over."

The commander was grinding his teeth. "You realize I can have both of you court-martialed, don't you? This is insubordination!"

"I'm well aware, sir." Co-pilot stated flatly. "I've made my decision and I'll deal with the consequences."

The commander stared at him, fuming quietly. Then he stood up. "You want to get all of us killed? Fine! But I won't let this slide." He snapped. "If we survive this, you can kiss your military career goodbye!" Shouldering his way past the Beacon students, he growled at their leader. "You got what you wanted, you damn brats! Well, go off and play heroes; I'll be watching _with great interest_ how you handle this!"

"Gladly." Tanya said in a cold voice before turning to her teammates. "Get your weapons, boys; we got work to do."

* * *

It only took several seconds since the co-pilot's fateful decision before the attacked ship was in sight. A large dark serpent-like shape was circling around, deftly evading fire coming from the vessel and lashing out on its own, wreaking havoc among the ship's crew. As the Humpback approached the scene, the reptilian Grimm's short forelimbs and pair of wings on its back came into view. So the damn thing likely could fly as well...

It didn't take a genius to realize that this was going to be a tough fight.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Roland questioned, frowning heavily as he watched the enormous monster, a strange hybrid of a snake and a dragon.

"We need to draw it away from the ship before it does even more damage." Tanya stated. "That thing looks pretty agile but I bet something as big can't outmaneuver this airship."

"What about its wings?" Nicolaus pointed out. "It might pursue us in air."

"Maybe but look at the size of them and compare it to its body mass." The leader argued. "It won't be able to keep itself airborne for long. Our Humpback still could fly circles around that thing!"

"Does this thing have any onboard guns?" Roland asked the co-pilot.

"This version of Humpback has two remotely controlled gun turrets, a dorsal one right behind the cockpit and another installed on the tail's underside. Both are armed with twin 20 mm auto-cannons."

"Hmm... sounds like just the thing to grab the beast's attention." Tanya mused. "Alright, here's what we do. Our helmsman can fly us around the Feilong, just stay out of its reach." The co-pilot nodded curtly. "We should also remain in contact with Selkie, tell them to keep firing at the damn thing while we distract it."

"Got it!" The crewman in question called out.

"Emery, you should man the guns 'cause I'll need Gunny for something else. Think you can handle it?"

Emery looked a little unsure but agreed nevertheless. "Haven't done something like that but I'll try my best." He said. "Somebody just give me some pointers and I'll figure it out."

"Get to it, then." Tanya replied. "The sooner you get a handle of that, the better."

The navigator stood up from his station and led Emery to a small console with a joystick and a few switches, placed at the very back of the pilot cabin.

"What do you need me to do, Tan?" Roland asked while the navigator was tutoring their newest gunner.

"Head down to the cargo bay; out of all of us here, you're the best shot and also the only one who carries heavy firepower. I need you to find a chink in that big bastard's hide and hit is as hard as you can."

"Got it." The sharpshooter nodded with a look of determination.

"What about the two of us?" Nicolaus questioned. "What are we gonna do?"

"Don't worry, Nick; we'll get our chance at taking that beast down, with a bit of luck." The team leader grinned. "If it gets close enough, we can jump onto it and take it down up close and personal... _just the way we like it._ "

"Looks like I'll have to prepared to fish you out of the water, just in case." The co-pilot remarked. "There might be other Grimm nearby."

"Thanks for the headsup; we'll be careful." Tanya then addressed her teammates. "You all know what to do? Then let's get to work!" She marched out of the cockpit and headed to the cargo hold, Nicolaus and Roland striding after her. On the way down, they met the commander who sat on one of the passenger's seats, refusing to look at any of them. It seemed that Tanya hit a nerve by second-guessing him aboard his airship; in the current situation, she couldn't care less. There was a beast out there waiting to be slain.

* * *

The Sea Feilong was circling the wounded _MV Selkie_ , preparing to deal yet another devastating blow. It stopped abruptly when a hail of bullets came from nowhere and began pelting its thick hide. The beast turned its head towards the intruder with a low growl.

A large flying contraption was coming at him at full speed, its gun turrets trained forward. The Grimm made a move to attack but another salvo interrupted it. The bullets bounced harmlessly off its bony cranial armor but still succeeded in drawing its attention.

Back aboard the Humpback, Emery grinned. "Uh-oh, it's looking right at us... _and_ _it's mad as hell!_ "

" _That's exactly what we need!"_ Tanya's voice blared from the radio. _"Let's draw it away from the ship!"_

The co-pilot jerked the control stick to the right. The Humpback responded quickly, executing a sharp turn, away from the Grimm that was again on the move.

Down in the cargo bay, team TNDR minus Emery watched the Sea Feilong rise from the water, its wings splayed wide as it prepared to take off. The airship was now relatively close so they could see the scaly hide, semi-transparent membrane of its wings, armored underbelly, sharp spines on its back and a double row of red, slightly glowing gills running down its neck to its forelimbs.

The Feilong went right after the Humpback, finding it a more interesting prey.

"It's fast," Roland mumbled, watching the large foe through his rifle's scope. "Faster than I thought."

The Grimm had its long narrow body entirely out of the water and was now gaining on the airship.

Emery opened fire from the rear turret. With unexpected agility, the Feilong evaded most of the shots and those that hit barely did any damage. The salvo did seem to slow it down slightly.

There was a flash and a couple of white-hot streaks crossed the Grimm's flying path, causing it to swerve to the side.

"What was that?" Nicolaus roared, surprised by the unexpected ocurrence. Tanya replied by pointing towards the nearby vessel.

 _MV Selkie_ was in a visibly bad shape. The damaged ship had developed a slight list to the starboard, the side that suffered much damage. Many hull plates were cracked or bent out of place and there was a large crack in the ship's forward portion, running right through the gun deck and disappearing below the water level. Most guns on the starboard side were destroyed, leaving only a handful still functioning.

If the co-pilot didn't make the decision to go against the commander's orders, _Selkie_ would be doomed.

The Feilong recovered from _Selkie's_ surprise salvo and once again gave chase to the airship. "Damn it, it's catching up!" Tanya cursed, seeing how quickly the distance between the Grimm and the Humpback closed. Not even gunfire from the aircraft's rear turret deterred it from pursuing. "Gun it!"

"Understood; increasing speed to one hundred percent!" Back in the cockpit, the co-pilot pushed the throttle forward, increasing the engines' power.

"Sierra-four-seven-nine-dash-two to _MV Selkie,_ how are you holding up?" Navigator spoke into the radio.

" _A lot better now that you've drawn the most of the heat!"_ Selkie's captain responded. _"I've had my crew do some emergency repairs, like getting the heavy cannon working again!"_

"What's your vessel's status?"

" _All our pumps are working at full blast; we're managing to keep this tub afloat, but only just! Engines are undamaged for now but we've got a lot of wounded on board, mostly crew and some passengers! Worse is, that the Feilong managed to take out half of our guns, and we're sitting ducks with no weapons!"_

"Understood, MV Selkie. Keep us updated on your status; we'll take care of things on our end." The navigator replied.

Sitting at the gunner panel, Emery kept pelting the Feilong with bullets, despite little effect of the gunfire. The monster suddenly slowed down, which was very unlike its previous zealous attempts at catching the airship... and Emery didn't like it. "What is it doing?"

His question was answered when the Feilong opened its jaws wide, showing rows of razor sharp teeth... and an ominous glow at the back of its throat.

 _Could it be... but that's only if fairytales, right?_

Emery had no idea if that was true, but he wasn't about to wait to find out.

"Dodge! Quickly, now!"

The co-pilot was surprised at the sudden, alarmed cry. But he still did as he was told.

The Humpback swerved to the left so sharply that the students in the cargo hold were nearly knocked off their feet. Still, it wasn't quite fast enough to evade a huge blinding flash of electricity that whizzed past, taking the tip of the right wing with it.

"Woah! What the fuck was that?!" The co-pilot swore, his cool demeanor gone in an instant.

"Lightning bolt!" Roland screamed incredulously, peering out of the cargo hold at the still pursuing Feilong. "That fucker's just shot a lightning bolt at us!"

"We need to end this quickly!" Tanya snarled, drawing her sabers. "Bring us closer to that thing!"

" _Got it, ma'am!"_ Came a clipped reply from the cockpit.

"Gunny, give that big bastard a solid salvo, right where it hurts!"

Without a word, Roland knelt down and whipped up his rifle, taking aim at the pursuing Grimm. Unfortunately, his target was about to vanish from the view, provided by open cargo door. "Shit! I need a better angle, Skipper!"

Tanya nodded and barked into the radio. "I need you to turn left, now!"

There was no reply but there was a tell-tale tilt as the Humpback changed direction again.

The Feilong came back into view.

The flight seemed to exhaust the beast because it had landed back in the sea, over half of its body hidden underwater. It didn't make it any less dangerous as it still could shock them, _literally_. Roland quickly took aim; he had only a precious few seconds to take the shot.

 _Where should I aim? Those gills on its neck? Or should I try my luck at its fuck-ugly mug?_

The damn thing wasn't opening its mouth anytime soon, so the next course of action was obvious.

Pumping the firing chamber full of Fire Dust, Roland trained his gun at one of the narrow slits of red flesh and fired. The cargo bay was instantly filled with reddish grey smoke for a few moments. Visible even at that great distance, a white streak of burning metal fused with Dust zipped towards the aquatic Grimm.

 _Come on, get in there..._

The Feilong roared loudly as the bullet struck home, passing through the narrow opening and exploding inside its throat. The monster stopped in place, thrashing around in agonizing pain.

There was no time to celebrate yet, however. "That thing's still far from done." Tanya stated with a feral smirk. "Looks like we'll have to finish it off ourselves." She spoke into the radio. "Okay, we need you to drop us right on top of that big sonuvabitch! Be prepared to pick us up once it's dead!"

" _You guys are nuts... but have it your way!"_

The leader turned to Nicolaus. "You ready for this, buddy?"

"Aren't I always?" The fox Faunus grinned back.

The Humpback rapidly approached the wounded Grimm that only now noticed them coming. Tanya and Nicolaus stood at the cargo door, guns out and ready to leap out.

Suddenly an explosion rang out close by, accompanied by a bright flash... and in the following moment the Feilong's head exploded in a shower of Grimm bodily fluids and fragments of bone armor. Few seconds later, the airship flew past a huge headless carcass dissolving into black dust as it sank to the bottom of the ocean.

The hunters in training were stupefied by the shocking turn of events, wondering quietly what the heck just happened. That is, until they noticed MV Selkie again; on the ship's bow, right where there was nothing mere minutes ago, was a turret with a single long-barelled large-caliber cannon poking out.

"That was... _anticlimatic._ " Roland spoke after a few seconds of silence.

"Not that I'm not glad the sucker's dead..." Tanya drawled. "But I kinda expected... more, I guess." No one disputed that.

Up in the cockpit, the tension in the air dissipated. "Well, that happened." Emery remarked and stepped away from the console.

" _MV Selkie_ , the hostile had been eliminated." The navigator reported. "Do you need any further assistance?"

" _I think we can handle things from here now that the Feilong's dead!" Selkie_ 's captain answered happily. _"We've just received a message from a Mistralian patrol cruiser nearby, looks like they heard our distress call and they're sailing to us at full speed as we speak. They offered to help us with repairs, wounded and the like, and I know better than to refuse them! Thanks again for the assistance!"_

"Don't mention it, _MV Selkie_. Sierra-four-seven-nine-dash-two out." With that, the navigator ended the transmission.

A while later, the rest of team TNDR made it to the cockpit. Albeit a bit shaken from the shoot-out, they were positively beaming with pride at their accomplishment.

"Alright, looks like we've survived our suicidal run; you're free to celebrate however you want." The co-pilot joked. "Setting new course: vector one-two-five, altitude zero-one-zero. Next stop: Kuo Kuana, Menagerie."

* * *

After the brief fight with the Feilong, things went back to normal which really meant 'exhausting, soul-crushing boredom,' notwithstanding yet another small altercation between the still angry commander and his subordinates. Apparently, killing the large sea Grimm couldn't make up for the damage to the Humpback, which was luckily relatively minor. It took a few minutes, filled with arguing and various threats before the commander calmed down enough to take his place in the pilot's seat. As for the hunters in traning, the airman flat out refused to acknowledge their presence... and honestly, they were fine with that.

They spent the next couple hours chatting casually before the night descended upon the ocean below their airship. Fatigue had started setting in so they unanimously decided to get some rest; what else was there to do in the dead of night? Hopefully, nothing bad would happen.

The long flight combined with the Feilong incident wore them out more than they thought because they ended up sleeping through the entire night and most of the morning. When they finally woke up the on-board clock showed a couple minutes past ten.

An hour later, the entire team was gathered in the pilot cabin.

"How long until we arrive?" Nicolaus questioned.

"At this speed? One hour at most, probably less." The co-pilot answered readily since his superior was intent on ignoring them.

"That's great!" Roland exclaimed with exaggerated enthusiasm. "I was climbing up walls in here."

"I can see land, finally!" Emery pointed at a colorful smear rising from the water encompassing everything below the horizon; a bit of green mixed with a copious amount of dull yellow and the brown on hills far in the distance.

This was Menagerie... and from up there it looked like a beautiful place.

"That's quite a view." Tanya said, taking in the view of the large isle before them. "It would be perfect if it weren't for that one damn cloud over the coast."

"That's not a cloud."

Every eye in the cockpit rested on the commander. "What did you say?" Nicolaus questioned, not expecting him to speak at all.

"I said it ain't a cloud." The commander explained. "Look how dark it is."

"Looks like smoke rising from the ground." The co-pilot added, narrowing his eyes at the dark plume. "Could it be a forest fire or something...?"

"Speed up!" Tanya suddenly said. "We need to get there as quick as possible!"

Her teammates exchanged worried glances.

"Last I checked, I was in charge around here-" The commander started protesting but she cut him off.

"We don't have time for this! Just get us there now!"

"What's gotten into you?" Roland questioned, taken aback by the sudden change in her behavior.

His voice seemed to snap her out of her frenzied state. "Look, I- Damn it, I wanna be wrong about this but-" She rambled just as the aircraft started accelerating. "You remember Goodwitch saying that the Talon might try and take over Menagerie?"

Nicolaus was the first to catch on. "You think it's happening _right now?_ " He said, his expression grim.

Tanya responded with a curt nod. "Get your weapons, boys; we're gonna need them."

* * *

Author's note: _Welp, looks like shit has just hit the fan. It's gonna be a tough few days for team TNDR._

 _To_ blackshadow340: _Ask and you shall receive :-) Yang's got many nicknames; Firecracker is from Drunkle Qrow, Sunshine is from her boyfriend... and some boys in and out of school call her Jugs, for obvious reasons (he he). Don't let her catch you say that, though!_

 _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_____


	4. A1 C3) Brother against brother

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 3 – Brother against brother

Menagerie was a curious land.

About two thirds of this tropical island were covered in arid inhospitable desert teeming with monsters of all shapes and sizes. The remaining portion of Menagerie, which could be considered habitable, was simply too small to accommodate more than a few towns and settlements, not to mention the lack of fertile soil. Faunus knew that and opposed humankind's attempts to deport them to that island, which later escalated into armed resistance. Decades later, Menagerie became a haven for every Faunus who wanted to live far away from discrimination in the four Kingdoms, with the de-facto capital city of Kuo Kuana and a few other towns and villages. One might object that Menagerie was still a symbol of Faunus being treated as second-class citizens, with its cramped space and under-developed state, but at least the locals got to live in relative peace.

Alas, even if you don't actively look for war, the war is looking for you. And after destruction of Vale City and unrest in Atlas and Mistral, the war also reached Menagerie. The Red Talon made its appearance, bringing their new ideology and violent tactics with them... and suddenly the people of Menagerie were fighting for their lives, under attack by their own brethren.

The Atlesian transport from Beacon Academy arrived just when half of Kuo Kuana's port district had been set aflame. Dark figures with conspicuous red masks were marching through the streets of the city, wreaking absolute havoc.

People aboard the Humpback watched the whole scene as it was captured by the airship's external cameras, their expressions contorted in disgust and, in Nicolaus' case, dismay, as the Talon troopers opened fire at fleeing civilians.

"Look at those damn maniacs," The fox Faunus growled out as he observed the violent scene. "To think they claim to be fighting for my people... We need to put an end to this, _now!_ "

"Find us someplace to land; we need to get down there _yesterday!_ " Tanya barked out. The team leader was already prepared for the upcoming fight, as were her teammates. Her fingers were toying with the grips of her sabers, which betraying her uneasiness, no matter how calm and collected she appeared.

"I'd advise against it, Miss." The co-pilot was the one to answer. "The Talon troops will swarm us the moment we touch down! I suggest a quick drop while our airship remains airborne, providing suppressing fire if needed! We can land once it's safe enough."

"Sounds good," Tanya nodded her approval.

"We need someone to man the guns, though." Roland pointed out. "One of us will have to stay on board, unless _the dear commander_ finally decides to do something."

"You'd do well to watch your big mouth, kid." The man in question snapped back. "We survived the Feilong only by pure luck and it was the _Selkie's_ heavy gun that killed the damn thing, not you and your peashooter!"

The sharpshooter bristled at the insult. "If it weren't for our decision to turn back, Selkie and everyone aboard would be dead and gone!"

"Both of you, quit it!" Tanya bellowed, silencing the two. "Save the arguing for after we've dealt with the invaders!" She then turned to the co-pilot. "Drop us off at the first suitable spot. We'll fight our way to the Belladonna's residence from there."

The co-pilot nodded curtly. "Got it; there's a marketplace just a few hundred feet ahead of us. You better get to the cargo hold right now!"

The Beacon students didn't have to be told twice to get moving. If the Talon got their way and took over Menagerie, it would mean a serious blow to both humankind and Faunus... and that simply couldn't be allowed to happen.

"Tan, do we even know where Belladonnas live around here?" Emery questioned as he jogged down to the cargo hold alongside others.

"Well, Ghira Belladonna is the Chieftain of Menagerie, that alone should narrow down the possibilities." Nicolaus explained. "Since his residence should reflect his position in local society, I'd suggest we look for a big manor or something."

"Just one thing, Nick." Tanya butted in. "You're taking charge during this mission."

Nicolaus stopped dead in his tracks and his head whipped towards her. "Are you serious?" He blurted out. "I'm not cut out to be a leader!"

"Just for this mission," She repeated. "We're smack in the middle of Faunus territory and I'm pretty sure they stereotype us humans as haughty and self-important. It wouldn't help us here if they started thinking we treat you like someone lesser, would it?"

"I see what you mean," He acquiesced. "But still-"

"But- nothing!" Tanya interrupted him. "I'm not asking you to lead; I'm _telling_ you. Take it as a learning opportunity." Pausing for a moment, she added with the ghost of a smile. "And don't worry about fucking up; I won't let you."

Nicolaus gave up protesting at that point; there was no talking her out of this. "Fine, Skipper."

By the time the four of them made it to the cargo hold, the door on the side was already open, showing a scenery of Kuo Kuana. The sudden Talon invasion plunged the city into chaos. The local armed forces did their best to hold off the invaders, allowing the civilians to seek shelter. Alas, the Red Talon came in force and fought the defenders tooth and nail.

The Humpback hovered only a few yards above the marketplace. A small group of local soldiers barricaded themselves there, trying to hold back a group of Talon troopers that were trying to break through. The sudden arrival of an unknown aircraft raised an alarm among the defenders and some of them were aiming their guns up. The only thing stopping them from opening fire was the rear turret turning around and blasting a salvo right at the Talon's positions.

"Alright kids, time to jump!" The co-pilot announced through the radio. "Good luck!"

"Good luck... yeah, if only." Tanya muttered quietly to herself as she and her teammates walked to the large opening in the Humpback's side, brandishing their weapons.

"Well, I guess there's no point in delaying this any longer." Nicolaus stated as his leader gave him a meaningful look. He was in charge this time; it was his responsibility to hand out orders and make sure everyone made it out of this alright. He couldn't say he liked having this kind of responsibility on his hands but he'd adapt... as he always did. "Let's do this."

The hunters in training took a single step forward and plunged to the ground below, right into the fray.

Actually, the jump was only a little more than ten feet high. It didn't make the moment any less dramatic, because of the intense fighting and bullets flying everywhere around them. As soon as they left the large aircraft, it ascended into the air, its onboard guns still trained at the Talon troopers.

The sudden appearance of Beacon students caused quite a surprise among the defenders of Kuo Kuana; a few of them were so startled that they trained their weapons on them, just seconds away from pulling the trigger. Nicolaus could understand their confusion; what else could they do when right in the middle of a fight a foursome of unknown characters suddenly dropped from the sky, especially when three of them were humans. Who was to say which side they were on? In order to erase any doubts about their possible allegiance, Nicolaus quickly leapt into action as soon as his boots touched the ground, firing off a quick volley into the advancing Talon troops. His teammates followed suit a moment later... and Roland scored a hit at one unfortunate grunt that had just left his cover to charge; a bullet through his shoulder knocked him backwards and into the dirt.

All the attention in the marketplace seemed to focus on the new arrivals. The Kuo Kuana soldiers seemed to regard the Beacon students with what appeared to be a mild suspicion. The Talon goons, on the other hand, attacked, promising the most horrible deaths to the intruders. After all, they hated both humans and the Faunus that didn't side with the Talon.

"Looks like we've got their attention!" Roland exclaimed, taking cover behind an overturned stall.

"That's good!" Nicolaus shouted back as he unleashed round after round at the invaders.

"What's the plan?!"

"Simple! You stay here with me and keep shooting at the bastards!" In his mind, the foc Faunus was praying this would work.

"What about us?" Tanya questioned, pointing at herself and Emery.

"You two can take the fight right to them while we keep them distracted!" Nicolaus fired off quickly. "Close quarters combat is your forte, am I right?"

"You are," The girl replied with a slightly sadistic smirk. "We'll show 'em _a real fight,_ you'll see."

"Get to it, then; we'll keep you covered!"

By that time, the defenders had recovered from the surprising intervention and began fighting back with renewed vigor, forcing the Talon to slow their assault. Nicolaus and Roland joined in on the huge volley of suppressing fire, giving Emery and Tanya an opportunity to slip away and move to the Talon's flank unnoticed.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nicolaus saw the Kuo Kuana soldiers leaving their cover and advance on Talon troopers. Someone must've given the order to push the invaders out of the marketplace for good. Alas, this clash wouldn't end well for the Menagerie troops, despite all their bravery. The Talon had numbers on their side... and they damn well knew it, eagerly welcoming the chance to tear the defenders of Kuo Kuana into pieces. Something had to be done.

"We're going with them, Gunny!"

Roland seemed confused and perhaps even slightly dubious about the order, yet he still joined the charge. _Let's hope it won't end in a disaster._

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the Talon's left flank. A good portion of their troopers turned their guns away from the attacking Kuo Kuana soldiers and towards their flank. Sure enough, Tanya and Emery picked just the right moment to attack, wreaking havoc among Talon's ranks. Nicolaus saw his partner tearing through the Talon goons as if they were but ants; it was hard to miss the scene since Emery towered over pretty much everyone in sight. And Tanya? She was quite literally a whirlwind plowing through the hostile crowd, her sabers flashing as they deflected both incoming blows and sunrays. Every now and then there was an explosion without flames and Talon thugs were sent flying everywhere as she unleashed her Semblance.

"I dunno who destroyed Vale City but it sure as hell wasn't you sissies!"

Nicolaus couldn't help it but smirk as he heard her taunting cry, especially when there seemed to be a grain of truth in that mocking statement. While the Talon troopers were numerous, that seemed to be their only advantage. He was trained by some of the best fighters back in Vale's White Fang, before it adopted the new strategy, and he could instantly tell that most of the invaders were fresh recruits whose best _and only_ weapon was their rage. It could work wonders when aimed _at the right target;_ however, it was useless against someone who could actually fight back. Months of ideologic indoctrination couldn't make up for the lack of combat skills, and it fully showed here, as the inexperienced youngsters were completely outclassed by the Hunters in training.

By the time he and Roland joined the fight, the enemies' ranks had already started collapsing. Menagerie soldiers were pushing the Talon troopers out of their positions and it got only worse when Talon's considerably more experienced 'officers' converged on the Beacon students, leaving their subordinates to deal with what they saw as 'the lesser threat.'

Nicolaus suddenly found himself fighting a very enraged female officer, donning a black-and-red uniform with silver trims and a red wolf mask, similar to what Manson Dracul wore... no doubt to honor that _butcherer_ after he met his end in Vale City. Unlike the regular grunts, she was quite skilled in combat and would've been a fair match _if_ she didn't constantly distract herself by ranting on how she'd 'make an example of the traitors like him.' He was sorely tempted to point out the sheer hypocrisy of that statement, just to egg her on a bit; kind of hard to do when she was trying her damnedest to kill him, though.

 _I wonder how she'd react if she learned it was_ my teammate _who killed their beloved leader..._

His mace and her blade met many times as they fought, neither managing to overpower the other though both came close at times. Nicolaus was fine with simply keeping her busy as he watched the Talon positions slowly collapse under the pressure of the defenders. Too focused on destroying her opponent, the officer failed to notice that the rest of Talon forces was retreating... and only realized her mistake when the Kuo Kuana soldiers had her completely surrounded.

"Surrender or die, scum!" The commander barked out, the tip of his blade leveled at the only remaining Talon trooper.

Seething with fury at her own stupid mistake, the officer did something that defied all sense of self-preservation. In an all-or-nothing move, she made her last desperate charge at the surrounding soldiers. She managed to take two, maybe three forward strides before a single volley of gunfire took her life.

Nicolaus looked away just as bullets began tearing into her body. He knew he shouldn't feel sorry for her. She chose this fate and besides, Talon neither took prisoners nor allowed to be taken prisoners. In spite of all that, he never really got used to seeing his people die.

Silence fell on the marketplace though sounds of fighting carried from other parts of Kuo Kuana.

Nicolaus felt relieved when the rest of his team emerged from the crowd, not one of them injured. There was the hoping their luck would hold.

The relief didn't last long when he saw the next potential problem they'd have to deal with; a commander of the unit was approaching him and he didn't appear particularly pleased, despite the assistance the Beacon students provided.

"Now that this _rabble_ is dealt with for now, it's time to decide what to do with _you._ " The Faunus officer snarled as he stood directly in front of Nicolaus. The fox Faunus beat back the sudden surge of fear as the commander was _at least_ a head taller than him. "I don't have a clue why a bunch of _humans_ would show up here, during an attack, so I expect you to have some damn good answers while we still have those _maniacs_ running around!" Behind him, a couple of soldiers escorted few Talon grunts that got captured during the fight... and they were not being gentle in the least.

"We're from Beacon Academy, here on a mission to investigate White Fang, or Red Talon, as they call themselves now, and their possible allies." Nicolaus rattled off, taking care not to give away too much. "Acting headmistress Goodwitch had it on good authority that the Talon would attempt a coup in Menagerie, eliminate the Belladonna family."

"And only _now_ they send help, when half the city's in shambles already? Is that it?" The commander snorted.

"You don't get it, _mister._ " Nicolaus said forcefully. "We've been sent to warn Chieftain Belladonna of the possible coup or, in case Talon had already attacked, protect him at all costs."

"Why?" The commander narrowed his eyes.

"We don't have time to argue!" Tanya butted in. "If Talon wins, people are gonna die! _Your people,_ in fact!"

"I don't recall asking you anything, _human._ " The Faunus shot back.

Tanya was already about to retort but Nicolaus stopped her. "My _subordinate's_ right. We're running out of time; either help us or _get out of our way!_ "

"Sir, if they're right, then the Talon is going to direct all their forces against the Belladonna manor!" One of the soldiers chimed in. "The attack on the marketplace might've been a decoy to draw us away!"

"Precisely," Tanya nodded. "The chieftain's life is at stake; do you _really_ wanna take that gamble?"

The commander gritted his teeth in frustration. It was obvious he had issues with humans and the thought of trusting one went against every fiber of his being. But on the other hand, putting the lifes of Chieftain and his family on the line because of his personal prejudices, no matter how justified they were... And if the Talon really was after the Belladonnas and conquering Kuo Kuana was only secondary goal, weren't they all just wasting time here?

"Fine, have it your way." The Faunus officer finally grounded out after a few long seconds of tense silence. "Belladonna manor is down the wide road going upwards from the marketplace; go straight ahead, don't make any _detours_ and you won't miss it. But you better get going right now; Talon is regrouping forces as we speak and will probably throw them all against the manor."

"So we'll possibly enounter heavy resistance; good to know." Nicolaus summarized. "Can you do something to give us bit more time?"

"We might try attacking their flank, distract them for a bit." The commander mused. "I don't have nearly enough men to stop those bastards, though, and I have no idea how the rest of our forces fare. The attack came just _that_ fast..."

"Think it might be an inside job?" Roland suggested... and a few Faunus bristled at the thought.

"It doesn't matter now," Nicolaus shook his head. "We need to move fast before the Talon swarms the Belladonna manor!"

"We'll try to hold them off as best as we can; just hurry!" The commander pressed. "Chieftain Belladonna has kept the order around here for years; if he dies now, Menagerie descends into chaos!" And the Talon would have a fresh supply of recruits for their mad genocidal campaign... but Nicolaus wasn't about to say that. Those people before him already knew what was at stake; no need to add to the pressure.

Nicolaus hoped that their jog to the Chieftain's residence would go without any problems. Alas, luck didn't seem to be with them. They had made it maybe half-way to their destination before a small group of Talon soldiers intercepted them. It was almost as if these bastards knew what they were up to... The hunters in training managed to beat them easily enough but that meant nothing since the quick fight cost them precious time, the time Talon troops could use to advance closer to Belladonna manor. Every minute could decide the outcome of the battle that raged inside the city.

As they pushed forward, Tanya noticed the sounds of gunfire and clashing blades growing closer. That could only mean one thing; their enemy was well ahead of them and still making their way forward.

Nicolaus saw that too and quickened his pace. "Get moving! We gotta beat them to the manor!" He bellowed. His teammates were managing to keep up easily enough... but how long until fatigue started to show? There was still a lot of fighting ahead of them; they couldn't afford to wear themselves out yet.

"Guys, I still think Talon had some spies planted here!" Roland said, panting slightly. "I mean, the only way they could ever launch a surprise attack like this is if someone here was feeding them intel! Patrol routes, weak points in defense, possible hideouts and such!"

"But how could they possibly hide away this many men? Someone would've noticed by now!" Tanya questioned.

"Sometimes a friend in the right place is all it takes to get things done, Skipper!"

"Even if there were spies around here, I don't think they'd stick around for-" Nicolaus' ears suddenly caught rustling of leaves. He turned just in time to see another group of thugs emerging from their hiding spot behind the bushes. "AMBUSH!"

Nicolaus growled in frustration as he saw how close they were to the manor; two hundred feet, at most. If it weren't for those damn Talon grunts... They couldn't have picked the worse time to attack. This group was larger than the last, outnumbering them three to one. Sure, these were only lowly troopers, a cannon fodder, only capable of slowing them down. Unfortunately, another delay was just the thing they couldn't afford.

The troopers were already surrounding them.

 _Shit, what do we do?_

"Tan!"

"What?"

"Get to the manor; we'll keep those sons-a-bitches busy!"

"Are you serious, Nick?" Tanya balked at the seemingly insane order. "I'm not about to-"

"Go, now!" The fox Faunus barked out with unusual ferocity. "Only you can outrun them!"

She wanted to argue, to scream back... but deep down she knew he was right. Even Roland and Emery silently agreed with him. No one would catch up to her if she used her Semblance... and Belladonnas might've been fighting for their lives right now, for all she knew. What if no one else could save them, but her?

There was only one possible decision.

Tanya gave Nicolaus a curt nod and focused her Aura into her legs, allowing her Semblance to literally blast her forward and away from the ambushers. A few Talon grunts attempted to pursue her. However, Roland's cry of "Dracul was Schnee's bastard kid!" succesfully grabbed all their attention, making them forget all about the girl getting away.

* * *

The battle had already reached the Belladonna manor by the time Tanya arrived. She could clearly see the local troops holding position around the building and firing at the incoming Talon soldiers. The enemy hadn't made it inside the manor yet but given how things have been going it was only a matter of time.

Viewing the large residence that was reminiscent of oriental palaces, Tanya quickly noticed a side entrance in the rear part of the manor. She bolted forward, making sure no one followed her. This was her chance. Her friends risked their necks to make sure she'd reach the Chieftain before Talon did; she couldn't screw this up. _She wouldn't._

Nobody noticed her skirting the manor. So far so good...

She was approaching the back door when suddenly an explosion rang out from the front entrance. And at the same time, she saw a feminine figure appear literally out of thin air near the door. She narrowed her eyes in confusion; the girl had slightly tanned skin with conspicuous darker spots, long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and slender physique overall but she didn't appear to have any discernible Faunus features. Meeting another human on Menagerie wasn't something Tanya thought of. But if that was the case, however, then why _the hell_ was that girl wearing a body suit in Red Talon colors? Wouldn't the Talon member recognize instantly she wasn't one of them?

No matter where the truth lay, Tanya wasn't about to take any chances with her.

Hands on her sabers, she approached the girl that was creeping towards the back entrance. "HEY! YOU!"

The other girl probably thought she was alone so the sharp cry startled her. Her hand flew quickly to her waist and within moments she was brandishing a whip with the bladed end, pulsing with blue energy. With a simple flick of the wrist, the blade was sent towards the approaching human.

Tanya quickly leapt to the side, only barely managing to keep out of the whip's way. Her eyes widened almost comically as a bright stream of electricity discharged from the bladed end. If the current hit her, she'd be knocked out instantly... or worse.

The close call served to remind her she was facing people who would kill her without a shred of remorse. The other girl clearly showed whose side she was on... and the thought of nearly having been killed by one of those _bastards_ filled her with rage.

Letting out a near primal roar, she created a backwards blast of wind that catapulted her right towards the attacker. The Talon agent could only watch helplessly as she was literally swept off her feet and smashed _through_ the back entrance. The door was torn off its hinges and mostly reduced to a pile of splinters. The Beacon student and the Talon spy tumbled through the room they burst in, obliterating some pieces of furniture before they both slammed into a solid wall.

The spy gasped sharply in pain as her back impacted against the wall, knocking the breath out of her lungs. Tanya wasn't faring much better herself yet she didn't relinquish her hold on the spy. Quickly glancing around, she realized they were in some sort of parlor, richly embellished and fitted up with all sorts of high-class furniture... some of which didn't survive her entrance, though.

 _Welp, there goes the first impression..._ Tanya thought sourly. The chieftain wouldn't be happy to see the carnage she inadvertently caused. There were more urgent things to attend to, such as the spy that started thrashing around wildly trying to escape her grasp. Tanya simply punched her in the face and straddled her waist while she was stunned; she was by no means in the mood for playing around.

Then she caught the sound of footsteps coming from deeper inside the residence... and they were growing closer. Chieftain and his men must've realized someone had broken into the manor.

"Get off of me, damn it!" The spy hissed.

"Bite me, bitch." Tanya snapped back, tightening the grip on the girl underneath her.

"I'm tempted to, believe me!"

 _Huh?_

"Stop squirming or I'm gonna-"

She didn't finish as the door on the far side of the parlor flew open and half a dozen of armed men burst inside, donning dark armored uniforms with white trims. The soldiers instantly aimed their guns at whom they perceived as intruders.

Tanya gulped as she saw fingers on the triggers, ready to push and blast both her and the spy to the Void. "Look, I know this looks bad but I can explain-"

"Stand up!" One of the men ordered.

 _What?_ "If I do that she'll run!" She objected against the ludicrous order. The girl underneath her began squirming again. "Quit it or I'm gonna _throttle you!_ "

"You'll get us both killed, stupid cow!" The spy hissed back.

"Both of you shut up!" The soldier speaking earlier barked out, visibly annoyed.

"WHAT IN THE DEVIL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

The soldiers around them literally jumped in start as a loud voice boomed throughout the manor. A _mountain_ of a man walked inside the room, wearing only beige pants and black steel-toed boots. The newcomer was about as muscular as Emery and, incredibly enough, a few inches taller; he had black hair and a beard reaching halfway down to his chest. His yellow eyes narrowed and glanced around before settling on the intruders.

He was instantly approached by one of the soldiers. "Sir, we caught these two wreaking havoc in the parlor." He reported. "The one on the top is particularly _incompliant._ " Tanya found herself fighting back a blush at the _unfortunate_ choice of words.

"I can see that." The bearded titan grounded out. "As if the army of those _barbarians_ at my doorstep wasn't bad enough..." It didn't take a genius to recognize that the man was _furious._

Tanya started to have an inkling of who she was looking at.

"Are you Chieftain Belladonna?"

"It's 'sir' to you, _human._ " A soldier to her left sneered.

The giant nodded almost imperceptibly in response. "Well, you seem to know me, somehow." He rumbled. "But I don't know you and frankly I'm not sure if I _should._ "

Tanya gritted her teeth in frustration. "I don't mean to sound disrespectful but we're wasting time here!" The things she had to endure since landing here was becoming too much and the attitude of the 'supposed friendlies' here was the last straw. "I'm from Beacon Academy; my team and I were supposed to warn you about an attempt on your life or stop it in case the Talon had already launched an invasion! My friends stuck their necks out fighting scores of Talon thugs just to make sure I could reach you before it was too late! And despite helping you guys against the Talon cutthroats, we barely got anything other than scorn and mistrust in return and it's pissing me off! I even caught this assassin sneaking through the back door-"

"That's not true!" The spy shouted back hotly. "I came here to help-"

"Yeah, and I'm the second coming of God." Tanya snorted. "Listen bitch; _I don't believe you_ and that nice Talon outfit sure as hell ain't helping you here!"

"I'll be the judge of that, not you!" The Chieftain snapped, startling others yet again. "Now get up and take a step back. No sudden movements."

Huffing in displeasure, she released the Talon spy and obeyed. In her current situation, there wasn't really anything else she could do.

Chieftain Belladonna then shifted his attention towards the girl on the ground. "You... Get up."

Almost hesitantly, the girl in question slowly pushed herself off the floor and stood up, her eyes fixed on the floor, which was in sharp contrast with her earlier defiant demeanor.

The Chieftain let out a weary sigh. "I didn't think I'd see you again after you sided with Taurus. But to see you fight alongside those _bloodthirsty madmen..._ " The girl before him stood with her head low, as if trying to disappear. "What do you have to say for yourself, _Ilia Amitola?_ "

While the spy flinched at hearing her own name, Tanya simply watched on, eyes darting between her and the Chieftain in apparent confusion. _Those two knew each other?_

"I-" The girl, Ilia, seemed to be crying, much to her amazement. "I wanted out ever since the Vale bombing but- I didn't have a chance until now. They'd _kill_ _me_ if they knew..."

"Alright, if you have something to say, _get to the damn point!_ " Tanya interrupted. "My friends are literally fighting for their lives out there while we stand around and chit-chat, and the same goes for your people as well, _sir Belladonna!_ "

The Chieftain turned and cast a hard glare at her, positively fuming. "You have a lot of nerve, talking to me in such manner, _human._ "

Then a woman in a black-and-violet robe burst into the room. "Stop arguing, please! The Talon is almost at the front door!" She pleaded gently.

Belladonna blew a sharp breath. "Kali, _please,_ we're dealing with a situation here!"

Tanya, on the other hand, was stunned into silence as she viewed the raven-haired woman before her. _God, she looks like a slightly older version of_ her...

"Ghira, dear, this is not the time for arguments!"

"THEY HAVE BLAKE!" The Talon spy suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention.

"What?!" Ghira Belladonna snarled, his voice dropping to a hoarse whisper.

"It's my fault..." Ilia stammered, evading the Chieftain's smoldering glare. "She let herself get caught just so they didn't suspect me of defecting... I planned to get her out but they took her away before I could do anything!"

Kali's hands flew towards her mouth, her expression one of pure horror.

Tanya cursed quietly as she digested the shocking information. She hasn't seen Blake ever since the Festival massacre over six months ago and was slowly starting to accept she might've been dead. And now she learned Blake was not only alive but held captive by Red Talon. Whatever for, it couldn't be good.

"Where is she?!"

Ilia flinched at Ghira's enraged roar. "Right here on the island! The leader of the attack had her brought here, he- He wants to _publicly execute her,_ make you watch her die right before-"

She didn't finish as Kali threw herself on her.

"NO! They can't do that!" She wailed as she clung to Ilia. "Tell me this isn't true, they wouldn't- Not my little girl! _Not her!_ "

"Those bastards mean to murder my daughter?!" Ghira raged. "OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

An explosion suddenly rang out near the front entrance, followed by clashing blades.

Tanya instantly drew her sabers. "They're here! Time to fight!" Her distrust of the 'alleged turncoat' Ilia was forgotten. There were uninvited guests in the house that needed to be kicked out.

She was the first to rush towards the manor's foyer, followed by the Belladonnas and the soldiers, two of which dragged seemingly paralyzed Ilia between them. The sounds of battle grew closer with each step. She tightened the grip on her blades.

Those Talon dogs picked a fight with the wrong people and she was determined to prove it to them.

The moment she cleared the corner she stopped dead in her tracks.

There was another group of Kuo Kuana troopers in the ruined foyer... along with Nicolaus, Roland and Emery. The boys were covered in scratches, bruises and dirt... but were very much alive, much to her elation.

"What took you so long, Griffon?" The sharpshooter said with a tired half-smile.

"Busy trying to apprehend a spy that might not even be a spy at all." Tanya joked despite the situation. "Guys, am I ever so glad to see you!"

"Had fun around here? Because it sure is _crazy_ outside!" Emery quipped.

The Chieftain and his anxious wife had just rounded the corner, accompanied by the soldiers. "Who's this?" He demanded as he laid eyes on the newcomers.

"We're from Beacon academy," Nicolaus answered readily. "And you've just had a bunch of demomen trying to bust through the front door. But they won't be a problem anymore." He pointed at several unconscious thugs in the doorway.

"I see... You have our thanks, then." Ghira nodded. "But we have other problems to deal with right now. We've just learned that my daughter is being held captive by the Talon."

The remaining members of team TNDR shared a surprised look. "Blake? _She's alive?!_ " Roland exclaimed.

"Not for long if we won't do something..." The Chieftain scowled. "Those monsters plan to murder her before our very eyes, just out of spite."

"We won't let that happen." Tanya said firmly. "She's our friend, too and there's no way we let those _rabid dogs_ harm her."

"Easier said than done, given their numbers." Nicolaus frowned. "We need a plan."

Suddenly, a young soldier burst into the foyer, startling everyone present.

"Chieftain, there's a large entourage of Talon soldiers approaching the manor!" The boy reported, his voice cracking under pressure. "They're mostly officers and have a prisoner with them, _a female!_ "

"Damn it..." Ghira growled, all too aware of what this could mean. "We're running out of time!"

"You can't let them kill her!" Kali sobbed, clutching onto her husband.

"What do we do?"

The silence lasted for several nerve-racking seconds. It was a seemingly hopeless situation. They couldn't face off against possibly hundreds of Talon troopers and hope to survive long enough to save Blake. Even stealth approach would be useless since they would surely smell the humans approaching.

No matter what they did, someone would inevitably die.

Then suddenly Ilia hesitantly spoke up.

"I have an idea."

"You, of all people?" Tanya snorted in disdain, still not trusting the girl. "Seriously?"

"Think what you will, but I want to save Blake as much as you do, _human._ " The turncoat snapped back. "I know you don't trust me but could you spare at least _one damn minute_ to hear me out?!"

"Please, if she can save my child..."

Tanya didn't like this one bit... but seeing Kali's desperate expression did her in. If whatever that girl had in mind could save Blake's life...

"Fuck... okay, I'm listening."

* * *

Author's note: _And the plot thickens... with White Fang (or I should say Red Talon) getting even more extreme than its canon counterpart, attack on Belladonna family would come way sooner. And it's only gonna go downhill from there. And Blake has finally made an appearance after six months pause! True, she's in an overall unenviable position right now but let's face it, we can't simply kill off a main character, can we? Hmm, maybe maim or perhaps mentally scar, but NEVER KILL! As for questions regarding Blake's life after Vale disaster, you probably already read a oneshot about her last run in with Adam (for those who didn't, see Hunters and life chapter 5). What happened afterwards? Answers will come soon!_

 _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)______


	5. A1 C4) Confrontation

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 4 – Confrontation

Although the battle in the city of Kuo Kuana was far from over, the large crowd of Talon troopers seemed to think otherwise, with the way they swaggered towards the Belladonna manor, like if the fight was already won. No one knew what to make of that kind of behavior. Was it arrogance or pure foolishness, especially when their warriors were still clashing with Menagerie soldiers? Or could it be a part of yet another stratagem, maybe?

There was no time to ponder on whatever the hell that was... especially when the Talon dragged Blake Belladonna herself with them.

While the Chieftain and whatever remained of his men looked on as their enemy approached, their expressions grim, a foursome of Beacon students lay in waiting in the boulevard leading to the residence, hidden among rubble and shrubbery. Tanya and her partner were on one side of the street, their teammates at the other, all watching the Talon troops closely as they drew closer.

Even now Tanya had trouble believing that Blake was alive. After being gone for over half a year, the Beacon authorities were ready to pronounce her dead... and in all honesty, she had given up hope that she'd ever see the girl again. Weeks prior to her disappearance, Blake was growing increasingly agitated due to White Fang's ever more violent activities and their possible involvement in a conspiracy against Vale and Beacon. She kept it together long enough, thanks to her teammates and friends but then the Festival Massacre happened... and it drove her over the edge.

Blake disappeared that day, without a trace, without any explanation... and she even left most of her belongings behind, even her beloved books. Sun and his team searched the city up and down looking for her but had no luck. Almost as if she vanished into thin air. Despite the lack of progress Sun was determined to keep searching but the disaster of Vale City foiled all his plans. Eventually the circumstances forced him to abandon his search. He wasn't coping well with all this, and neither did all the friends Blake left behind at the Academy... most of all, Yang.

No wonder that Tanya was prepared to give Blake a piece of her mind once they freed her from Talon captivity. The stupid girl ought to know what kind of hurt she caused by her disappearing act.

But that could wait until the Talon was kicked off this island for good. Right now, she was concerned about other things, namely Ilia's _crazy_ plan to ambush the approaching 'delegation.'

Even with the element of surprise, there was no way her team could beat back a mob of enraged Faunus that numbered _at least_ a hundred people. Ilia did say she had a few tricks up her sleeve to improve their chances though she didn't elaborate... alas, that did nothing to inspire more confidence in her scheme. In spite of what happened within the last hour, Tanya couldn't bring herself to trust the girl. True, she might've left the Talon in the end... but did it make her any better, really? How could they be sure she wouldn't turn on them later just to save her own hide? Such was the risk of trusting a turncoat. However, they had no other choice if they wanted to save Blake from the maniacs marching to the Chieftain's residence.

Despite the facts, even now Tanya found herself wondering why she agreed to... _this._

Ilia planned an ambush while the Talon troopers were distracted. Their leader planned to 'negotiate' Belladonna's surrender in exchange for his daughter's safe return. Knowing the Talon, its aggression, hate and viciousness, that was likely a deal their leader never intended to keep. While he spoke with the Chieftan, his soldiers would stand down and wait for further orders. At that time, Ilia and the Beacon students would strike... and it was the Chieftain's goal to keep stalling for as long as possible.

Problem was that humans had a specific smell that Faunus would easily catch and thus they'd quickly realize something was amiss. Nicolaus didn't have such problem, obviously, and neither did Ilia, who turned out to be a chameleon Faunus, much to their surprise. Even better, she shared the same advantage of her animal counterpart, as in the ability to change skin color.

How very unfair...

For the trap to work, they needed to figure out how to mask the humans' scent without tipping the Talon off. And with the enemy almost at the door, there was no time to devise some elaborate way of doing so.

The only possible solution at the moment was simple and effective but also drastic and, well... rather embarrassing. But what other choice did they have?

And this is how Tanya Griffon found herself hidden among the thick bushes; her jacket was off, the sleeves of her blouse rolled up and her bare arms and midriff covered in brown, thick and incredibly stinky substance. The whole time she had to suppress the urge to gag as the foul smell made her stomach incredibly queasy.

Never in her life did she think that her job as a Huntress would also involve smearing _manure_ all over herself. Sure, it did a great job at covering their natural human scent... but it also made the waiting nigh unbearable. At least Emery and Roland could slap the 'camouflage' on their armor pieces. Tanya, on the other hand, didn't have such option, and rather than ruin the few articles of clothing she had, she chose to sacrifice her own dignity and apply the 'camouflage' directly on her body.

If the rest of the gang saw her now, they'd probably wet themselves laughing... Though, there was also the hoping that those rabid Talon dogs would die of laughter once they saw a trio of humans covered in cow shit throwing themselves at them.

 _This better work,_ Tanya found herself thinking, all her fury aimed at Ilia, _or I'm gonna force-feed this muck to_ her. And she was equally envious of Nicolaus for not having to put up with this kind of crap.

And as for Ilia herself, she was out there on her own... _somewhere._ And of course, she neglected to explain her part of the plan to them.

 _Goddamnit, why did I agree to this again?_

The swarm of Talon soldiers kept marching towards the manor. Tanya could actually feel the ground tremble under her feet with their every step. As the first rows passed her hideout, she took a risk and peeked out, only for a moment.

Nobody seemed to notice. They _couldn't_ see most of their surroundings, given they stared dead ahead, their eyes fixed at their destination. Their march was perfectly synchronized, like a well-oiled machine; not a single step out of line. The sight felt like a pure demonstration of power rather than an assault. Or perhaps this was something akin to a victorious parade, a sign that Talon considered the battle already over.

If so, Tanya was eager to show them how _damn wrong_ they were. But she had to wait for a signal.

More and more soldiers passed as the seconds dragged on. Then a large wagon came into view, pulled by a few footmen, with three persons standing atop of it. The one in front appeared to be a high ranking officer if his uniform, more embroidered than that of a regular grunt, was anything to go by. The other two were a Talon footman and a girl in a ragged robe that only barely protected her modesty.

Tanya barely held back a gasp as she viewed the prisoner more closely. Even at the distance, she instantly recognized the long jet black hair and the pair of feline ears.

A single glance was all it took for her earlier anger to dissipate almost instantly.

Tanya had no idea how long Blake had been held captive... but the girl looked like she was dragged to hell and back, repeatedly. The thin robe, if those tattered rags could even be called that as they bared more skin than they covered, hung on her visibly emaciated frame. Tanya could literally see every cut, bruise and welt on Blake's body, and the back of her tunic was soaked with blood; all of that an evidence of brutal, daily torture. The poor girl looked like it took most of her strength just to stand on her own feet. Her hands were trapped inside a heavy-looking metal yoke that was secured around her neck; there was an iron chained fastened to it, its other end held by the grunt on the cart.

The fencer gritted her teeth, feeling her anger coming back in full force. Like if beating her half to death wasn't enough to those bastards, they just had to go for a humiliation, keeping her restrained and collared like an animal, and they paraded her through the city and had even the nerve to show her to her family in such miserable state. Just to rub salt into an open wound...

 _How dare they do this to her... how_ fucking _dare they?!_

Seething with barely controlled fury, she almost failed to catch the soft rustling of leaves. She turned away from the procession of Talon troopers just in time to see Ilia 'materialize' out of thin air.

"I really hope your plan accounted for _this,_ Amitola." Roland glowered at the Faunus girl and pointed at the marching soldiers. It was no surprise that he didn't trust the former Talon spy and seeing her former comrades parade beaten Blake around like some kind of trophy to be boasted only added to his anger.

To her credit, Ilia remained calm even under his heated glare. "I know what to do, as I said multiple times before. Just make sure you do your part and you do it _correctly._ "

The gunman scoffed. "Please, I'm dependable, _unlike_ _some people around here._ "

The message of his scathing remark was quite clear, as evidenced by Ilia's furious scowl. Tanya knew what would follow and decided to intervene before the ensuing argument could give away their position.

"Both of you, stow it!" She hissed quietly. "If you guys fuck this up because of squabbling over every stupid little thing Blake's gonna pay for it _with her life!_ Or did you already forget that?!"

That was enough to shut them up. Both her partner and their unexpected new ally needed a reminder of what was at stake.

"I- Sorry, you're right." A brief look of shame crossed the gunman's face before it hardened in determination. "We're getting Blake out of this, count on that."

Ilia nodded stiffly. "Just stick to the plan. We need to take out their leader, first. Hilen is the leader of the Menagerie operation; once you remove him from the picture, the morale of Talon troops will drop like a stone in the water."

"One man can have such an effect on all those goons?" Tanya mused, not entirely convinced. "That sounds too good to be true."

Ilia shook her head in response. "I can tell you so many things just to show how wrong you are about that... but unfortunately, we don't have the time. I'll just say that aside from hatred towards humans, Talon warriors don't really have much in common."

The horde of invaders suddenly came to a halt, just a few hundred feet away from the entrance to the Belladonna manor.

Ilia suddenly took off, heading closer to the front of the column. "Come with me, quickly!" She hissed at Tanya who had no choice but to follow. Then she addressed her partner. "Remember, your shot will be our signal; wait for the right moment but don't delay!"

"Got it." Roland nodded with a grim look and went back to observing the enemy soldiers through his rifle's scope.

 _Only got one shot at this... Better make it count._

* * *

Standing behind a makeshift barricade offering only little safety, Chieftain Belladonna regarded the mob with a deep scowl. The odds were overwhelmingly against him. He only had a little over two dozens of warriors at his side and he couldn't expect any assistance from the rest of the available forces that were stil busy keeping Talon from tearing Kuo Kuana apart. As for the Beacon students who unexpectedly turned up in Menagerie, he didn't really think they could make much difference against so many fanatic Faunus, whose hearts were overflowing with rage and hatred.

So... was _this_ the end of everything he was trying to build?

The column of Talon troopers suddenly split in the front. The men moved to the sides and revealed a large wooden cart with three individuals standing on top. Two of them sported Talon uniforms, _like if it were something to be proud of,_ the Chieftain thought bitterly. The third one-

His heart began beating frantically in his chest the moment he recognized his daughter, despite over six years of her absence and numerous signs of physical abuse all over her body. It hurt him immensely to see his child in such pitiful state, with barely enough strength left to remain standing, especially when those barbarians had her chained down like an _animal._ Didn't they realize they only proved humans right with all this senseless killing and cruelty? However, from what he'd seen, they were most likely beyond caring now.

Ghira was suddenly glad he commanded his wife to remain inside the manor. Who knew what she was liable to do if she saw Blake like this. But what he knew for sure was that Kali would never forgive him if he failed to rescue her.

As much as he hated the feeling of complete powerlessness, he had to trust Ilia. It was the only chance.

The man on the cart, the one donning an officer's garb, was staring right at him with a smirk that could only be described as spiteful, malevolent.

"Listen up, men!" The man whom Ghira assumed to be the leader bellowed, his voice carrying throughout the boulevard. "All your life you've been waiting for this moment; you all fought for a better tomorrow and the end of human tyranny! This is the beginning of the new age for our kind... and as you all know, when something begins then something also has to _end!_ In order to build a future for Faunus-kind, we must also rid the world of all remnants of the old order!"

The fanaticized crowd made a loud roar of approval.

"One of such remnants is the so-called _Chieftain_ Belladonna and the pathetic ruins of his toothless alliance, the man who claimed to represent and defend Faunus and their interests yet was content to bargain with our oppressors even if it meant selling out his own people! And when our voice turned against his sycophantic policy, he turned tail and ran! What could possibly be a better evidence of his cowardice than this?"

Even as the crowd shouted, shouting death threats to him, Ghira gritted his teeth at the blatantly untrue accusations. Everything he ever did was meant to sway the public opinion to accept the Faunus as equals, with all rights and benefits. Alas, that was a long-term goal and with every setback, the ones preferring a quicker solution gained more voice, and it ultimately ended with his 'resignation,' which was only a fancier term for 'being ousted.' Over time, those damn militants forgot all about equality and became fixated on revenge... and that led to a drastic transformation of the Fang and an all-out war against humankind and any other opposition.

 _Damn it all, we were supposed to be better than this..._

"And worse," The leader of the enraged mob continued. "While you fought and bled for your freedom and rights, he was hiding here, in the safety of this _wasteland,_ and didn't lift a finger to help! Such callous indifference to your plight is nothing short of a treason and such crime warrants the capital punishment! There is no mercy for someone who let his own people languish under the yoke of human oppression! _We will not bend our knees to humans and we will not spare those who do!_ "

The damn rabble-rouser had the Talon troopers wrapped around his fingers as they hung to his every word and interrupted his speech with roars of approval.

"So I challenge you, Ghira Belladonna! Leave your hidey hole and face the justice! You will accept your punishment if you still have some honor left in you after years of pandering to humans!" The leader gestured to the prisoner behind him. "And even if your pride stops you from accepting justice, I'm sure you're not as heartless as to let your _daughter_ take your punishment upon herself! Or am I wrong?"

Had they arrived only half an hour sooner, Ghira would gladly give himself up if it meant ensuring Blake's survival. However, he knew better now, thanks to Amitola's intervention. His daughter's fate was sealed regardless of whether he accepted his 'punishment' or not... or would be for sure. Ilia and the students from Beacon Academy could make the difference now.

Though nothing was happening, yet.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Ghira called out to his foe on the other side, trying to gain more time. What were they waiting for?

"You're not in a position to question my word, _chieftain!_ " The Talon leader snapped back and nodded at the one soldier on the cart. The man in question drew a long, jagged knife and, much to Ghira's horror, put it right to Blake's throat. "You're no longer in control of things around here; _I am!_ As the future Lord of Menagerie I command you to come here, and if you truly care about your daughter's well-being, you will obey!"

"NO!" Blake suddenly cried out. "Don't-" She was cut off when her 'handler' pulled roughly at one of her ears.

Ghira made a mental note to find that little shit and tear him apart with his bare hands if he got a chance.

Which would never happen. The trooper manhandling Blake suddenly went still and dropped his dagger as his head suddenly and violently split in half.

* * *

One single gunshot was all it took for the 'peaceful negotiations' to turn into a complete pandemonium. With her hands and neck trapped in a yoke, Blake Belladonna could do nothing but watch the chaos unfold before her eyes.

Nobody knew where the shot came from but whoever it was the shooter had just claimed a life. She knew as much the moment a warm liquid splashed across her back.

The Talon leader could only stare in surprise as his subordinate collapsed, his head a pulpy mess of crimson. His shock very soon gave way to intense rage. He tore his blade out of its holster and thrust it upwards, screaming at the soldiers all around him.

"SNIPER! FIND THAT CRAVEN SON OF A-"

He got cut off by another gunshot... and in the next split-second his stomach exploded in a geyser of gore. In morbid curiosity, Blake wondered if the man even had his Aura up... but given the results, it hardly mattered. Aura or not, the bullet tore through the leaders mid-section with a force that knocked him off the cart and onto the dirt below.

* * *

 _What a beautiful shot,_ Roland grinned to himself, watching as his target fell from the cart with a bloody hole in his stomach. After Penny's refit, his Thunderbolt was performing better than ever.

Now that the leader of those _rabid dogs_ was out of the fight, maybe things would be a bit easier for them for once. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tanya leap out of her cover and dart towards the disoriented mob with a wild war-cry, her sabers glinting in the sun. Back at the manor, Chieftain Belladonna was barking orders at the few soldiers that remained at his side.

 _Better join the fight now, while those fuckers are distracted._

Heeding his own advice, Roland rushed forward to join the fray, ready to crack heads.

 _Can't let 'em have all the fun, can we?_

* * *

Blake didn't feel sorry for the wounded leader in the slightest, not after what she saw him and his cronies do to people... _to her._ After she oh so stupidly got caught, all due to taking a pity on her former friend, this _sick bastard_ made it his personal mission to _break her,_ to shatter both her body and mind... and he damn near managed to achieve that. Maybe it was revenge for all actions Blake took against her former comrades; sabotaged operations, freed prisoners, stolen intelligence... _eliminated operatives._ It didn't explain the same barbaric treatment he and his fellow torturers gave to the unlucky captives that never did anything to wrong them. Could it be perhaps a madness induced by a seemingly unlimited power over people that fell into his lap?

It didn't matter now. Blake only prayed his end wouldn't be quick. His victims didn't get a quick and clean death, either.

The Talon troopers were taken by a sudden surge of frenzy (or was it simply hysteria) as they saw their leader fall, no longer the orderly column of disciplined warriors they appeared to be just seconds ago.

And that was when explosives started going off in their ranks.

A series of unnaturally bright flashes of light almost blinded her. Memories from her training came rushing back to her. _Flashbangs!_ Someone must've set an ambush for them... but who?

She couldn't think when another set of explosions went off and the air suddenly became filled with shrapnel.

One such explosion turned the cart over and sent her tumbling to the ground.

She landed on her back, _hard,_ and her vision went almost white as an agonizing pain rippled through her body. The wounds from torture sessions weren't healed yet and she could feel every single cut and bruise. Her pained groans were drowned out by the furious battle that raged all around her; gunshots, clanking of blades, screams of both rage and agony.

Blake knew she had to get out of there. The longer she remained, the greater the chance that one of the Talon thugs might finish her off or a stray grenade or a poorly-aimed shot could end her life.

Standing up proved to be a greater challenge than she expected, thanks to the damn yoke on her neck that restrained her arms. Without somebody's help she wouldn't be getting rid of it anytime soon. When she finally managed somehow to drag herself on her feet she almost crumpled back down.

 _Ugh... so_ fucking _weak..._

Blake hated being completely defenseless, like just now. Her legs felt like jelly and her weakened muscles protested fiercely against her every movement. If anyone decided to end her right there, she wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to save her own life.

But staying here, amidst the chaos, would kill her for sure.

Her gaze fell on the thick shrubbery at the edge of the boulevard. Maybe she could hide there until the battle ended. Her captors were too busy fighting whoever attacked them, no one would notice her escaping... _hopefully._

Her weak, wobbly legs only barely obeyed her commands. She was stumbling around, barely staying on her feet... and every step hurt, a lot. But the pain was better than the alternative.

She wanted to live, now more than ever.

However, the world seemed to have other ideas.

Blake was half-way towards her destination when something rammed into her back and sent her sprawling forward, face-first into the dirt.

This time, she didn't stop the scream that tore out of her throat.

 _This is it... I'm finished..._

Someone saw her... and given her rotten luck as of late, it could only be a member of Red Talon. There was no escape now, no point in fighting any longer. She was going to be butchered like an animal, by her own people, no less; what an ironic end for a former member of White Fang. In her last moments, she thought back to her suicidal mission against the twisted, corrupted knock-off of her father's organization. All she wanted was retribution, wanted those _bastards_ to pay; for Vale, for Beacon, for every person they hurt or killed... for Roland, for Yang, and for herself.

 _And look where it got me..._

This was not the end she envisioned for herself. She wanted to go out fighting, to take as many of the Talon barbarians with her as she could. Not like this, weak and helpless...

It wasn't fair. Blake was supposed to be angry at the villains winning once again. But all she felt was _regret..._ About running away from her family, about letting Adam manipulate her for his own ambitions, about not doing the right thing until it was almost too late, about leaving her friends at Beacon the way she did, about running away every time things went south... and she wouldn't get another shot at making things right.

 _I'm a really terrible person, aren't I?_

Someone grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her up on her knees... with surprising gentleness, she noticed. It didn't keep her from tensing up in anticipation of the killing blow.

It never came.

"Blake... it's okay, I've got you, now..."

Her eyes widened in recognition. She knew that voice...

" _Ilia?_ What are you-" A coughing fit interrupted her mid-sentence.

"I'm getting you out of here; let's go, before anyone sees us!"

Blake didn't say a word, only nodded dumbly and allowed the other girl to drag her away.

She didn't think she'd see Ilia again, not after their last encounter. They used to be close friends until after Sienna Khan's takeover, when Adam's slow descent into madness drove them apart. When Blake left the Fang, Ilia remained. It came as a shock when she ran into her again, months after the fall of Vale City. They fought and almost killed each other that day... but hate and loathing evaporated as soon as both girls understood how much things had changed.

The Fang was targeting unaffiliated Faunus as well, all part of a mad genocidal plan to eradicate humankind _and_ strengthen the Faunus by _culling the weak_.

The once renowned officer and leader Adam Taurus had been reviled as a traitor; there had even been a huge bounty on his head. Blake never knew of such a surprising development but felt not a shred of pity for her former mentor and lover (as much as she loathed admitting it).

Little did Blake know that Ilia no longer felt comfortable with the Fang's new ideology. Albeit reluctantly, she offered to help Blake with her 'investigation.' Since defection from the Fang was punishable by death, her decision took a lot of courage.

It worked for a while and Blake got information she'd never acquire on her own. But then everything went to hell and an entire outpost was after them. It was then when Blake made a decision she almost came to regret later; she ordered Ilia to deliver her to the commander as a captive and ultimately saved her from being executed for treason.

Was it worth it? Blake couldn't say for sure, not when there was still a chance she wouldn't survive this battle.

No one crossed their way and neither did they get shot at, however, which she frankly found even stranger. Why was everyone ignoring them?

The a body impacted on the ground just a few feet away. It was a Talon trooper. Whether dead or just knocked out, Blake couldn't tell, she instantly noticed a slight dip in the man's lower cheek; a telltale sign of a shattered jaw.

"Alright fuckers, who's next?!"

She found the voice coming from afar very familiar. It sounded like one particular angry sharpshooter she knew... but that couldn't be possible. The last she heard of him, he was fighting for his life at Vale hospital. There was no way this could be him.

Ilia finally reached cover in a ruined hut along the street. Blake did her best to follow, trying not to trip over her own feet.

"Come on! We'll get the yoke off later!"

They were safe, hidden from any prying eyes. Blake was starting to think things might finally get better... then suddenly she found herself knocked backwards as another assailant rammed into her. It happened so fast she didn't even see who was attacking her; all she knew was a pair of hands wrapping around her body and her own wounds screaming in protest.

She opened her mouth to call out for help... but the words died in her throat as soon as soft sobbing reached her ears.

"My little cub... You're alive!"

… _Mom?!_

A year ago, Blake wouldn't even consider visiting her parents. Out of shame, mostly, for all the terrible things she did during her time with White Fang, for all the harsh words she said before running from home... for being incapable of doing anything other than running away.

Now, though? None of it mattered.

Blake found herself crying for the first time ever since leaving Beacon, feeling like a little girl again... and it was alright.

* * *

Amidst the horde of enemies that tried their damnedest to kill him; a truly dangerous situation for an ordinary person... but Roland was beyond caring, having faced worse odds before. Given the situation, he didn't have to hold back any longer... and it was strangely liberating. It felt great to really cut loose once in a while, the kid gloves finally off.

He twisted and weaved his way through the incoming Talon thugs, beating back anyone that got too close. With his rugged, trusty rifle-axe, cybernetic arm, augmented body and his Semblance, he felt almost invincible. And why worry about being overwhelmed, when he had his friends to watch his back?

While Amitola raced to pick up Blake, he and his team attacked the disorganized crowd of Talon troopers. Losing their commander really did do a number on their morale because they had trouble holding back four hunters in training.

And when the Chieftain himself and his men joined the battle... things seemed to be looking up.

This was most likely the first time Roland saw Talon thugs soiling their underwear with fear... and he reminded himself to never get on Ghira Belladonna's bad side. _Ever._

Seriously, he might as well become an embodiment of unholy rage when something set him off, such as threatening his family... or torturing his only daughter.

Needless to say, the longer the battle lasted ever since the very first shot, the more the Talon's morale diminished. They were a far cry from seemingly fearless, formidable warriors, especially without their loudmouth-of-a-leader to keep them in line.

Ducking under an offending blade, Roland rolled forward, right in between two disoriented goons. Jumping back onto his feet, he swung his weapon in a wide arc. Foes that didn't jump back in time were swept mercilessly aside when the head of the axe struck them with a bone-crushing force, further amplified by the gunman's cybernetic arm.

He attacked again, not giving the enemy an opportunity to strike back... or escape.

Spinning and twirling his rifle-axe, in a manner not unlike one certain scythe-wielder, he became a whirlwind of motions, almost impossible to stop. The few hits the enemy managed to land on him made zero difference.

The axe blade cleaved its way through the surrounding crowd in an awe-inspiring and lethal display of power and violence. Roland was like a well tuned-up machine, repeating the same routine time and time again; sidestep, crouch, thrust, roll, roundhouse swing, axe-spin, uppercut, the moves came almost naturally to him.

His mind was almost entirely focused on the fight... but every few seconds he saw and heard a glimpse of the happenings around him.

A tower of a man plowing through the rows of Talon thugs, a long fearsome chainsaw blade glinting in the sun. Emery wasn't holding back either... and it made for a terrifying sight.

"Where's all your courage gone, huh?! Is it cuz we can fight back?!"

Even in the all-present noise, Tanya's taunting cry could be clearly heard. She was very positively enraged... and was using her Semblance more often than necessary, sending her foes flying with powerful windblasts.

Nicolaus was nowhere to be seen... but Roland did notice Talon thugs approaching Emery from behind, only to fall over for no apparent reason. Even now the fox Faunus was looking out for his partner.

One of the goons somehow managed to sneak up from behind and slashed at his back.

The Aura stopped the blow... however, it was the knowledge that the sneaky little _fuck_ got through his guard that pissed Roland off to no end.

The goon was preparing to strike again when the rifleman spun around, thrust Thunderbolt's barrel into his stomach and then socked him in the face... with his _better hand._

The sheer force of the blow shattered the grunt's jaw and catapulted him backwards.

He scowled fiercely and his gaze fell on a group of troopers shrinking away from him.

"Alright fuckers, who's next?!"

In his fury, he failed to notice the trail of bodies littering the ground behind him.

Then, much to his surprise, the Talon soldiers began tossing their weapons away and began their hasty retreat.

"What the fuck?" This was very unlike the usual clashes with the fanaticized White Fang... or Talon. Those guys never surrendered... or ran away.

Suddenly it occurred to him to look around.

And when he did, he saw the familiar Menagerie troopers entering the scene.

* * *

Ghira Belladonna couldn't feel any more relieved when the soldiers of the Volunteer Army of Menagerie, as the local militia called itself, appeared out of nowhere and joined the fight. He didn't expect to receive any help, assuming they were busy defending the rest of the city; nevertheless, he was thanking the God for his intervention.

The Beacon students wreaked enough of a havoc on their own. Their help was invaluable and, to be honest with himself, he never thought a bunch of humans would risk their lives for his people. Yet it happened and it was enough to turn this seemingly hopeless battle around.

And when the militia made its appearance, the already severely weakened Talon invaders started running away.

It was an incredible victory... but the fight was not over yet, not until every single one of those scum was kicked off his territory.

First, however, he needed to find his daughter. He needed to know if she was alive.

Ignoring the demoralized Talon troops as they scurried away, Ghira strode forward with a purpose, looking for any signs of his child's presence.

He was passing the overturned cart when he caught soft wheezing nearby.

Panic struck him. Ghira began searching the nearby area, fearing the worst. Once he found the source of those noises, like a flip of a switch, his fear gave way to intense rage.

There he was, the leader of those barbarians who attacked and ransacked Kuo Kuana, _his home;_ the one person who killed his people and threatened him and his family. He was lying in the dirt, blodd pooling around him. There was a gaping hole in his stomach... yet for some reason, he was still alive.

The man was no longer a threat, of course... yet the sight of him made Ghira's blood boil. He wanted to kill him, in the bloodiest manner possible.

The leader was still conscious, incredibly enough, and looked straight at him. "Come to finish me off, _illustrious leader?_ " Blood flowed out of his mouth as he spoke, his words laced with utter contempt.

"Strange how the mighty have fallen," Ghira sneered. "You didn't really think everyone would blindly follow you and your little _cult,_ did you?"

"And you think _you're_ any better? A bootlicker who always toadied to humans, blind to all the injustices our people faced all over the world?" The dying leader spat out more blood. "Just remember where we're standing; you oh-so-proudly call it home but if humans had their way, this island would become a _graveyard_ to our kind! And you think you get to judge me? You're just as bad as humans!"

Ghira didn't bother replying. He heard this drivel hundreds of times before. True, some humans would never show the respect Faunus deserved and would still treat them as second-class citizens... but did it justify a mass murder? Absolutely not. Besides, why should he explain himself to someone who wouldn't hesitate to butcher his own people to get his way?

The Chieftain grabbed the Talon commander by the collar of his ruined uniform and hauled him up into sitting position. The mortally wounded Faunus stared back at him, fearless even in his last moments.

"Go ahead, end me if you so desire... but know _this,_ " He smirked. "There are hundreds of warriors, all of them ready to take my place... and they will want blood; of humans, their toadies... and yours. And they will not stop fighting until they've secured the rightful place in the world for our people... Killing me won't change a thing..."

"It won't..." Ghira snarled quietly. "But I can live with that!"

He grabbed the commander's head with his large clawed hands and with all his might, he _twisted it off._ There was a revolting noise of snapping bones and tearing flesh... and then the commander's headless body fell back into the dirt. In the next few seconds the severed head followed, landing a few feet away.

"Chieftain, sir?"

He turned at the voice and saw one of his personal guardsmen approaching him. The warrior showed no reaction at the sight of blood staining his hands.

"We caught some of the Talon troopers before they could escape."

"Good," Ghira nodded. "Throw them into the dungeon; we'll deal with them later. Anything else to report?"

"Your daughter is alive and safe in your residence; your spouse and the Talon deserter saw to that."

Ghira couldn't hide his relief at the news. To think he came so damn close to losing her again, _for good..._ How he longed to hold her in his arms again...

Alas, the reunion had to wait.

"What of the Talon?"

"Those scum-sucking traitors have barricaded themselves in the port district, in an abandoned warehouse." The guardsman scowled. "Some of their best fighters are gathered there... and I also heard they're holding hostages, using them as meat shields. No idea how much of that is true but either way, we should expect heavy resistance."

 _So_ that's _how they want to play this, eh?_ Ghira was determined to make them pay dearly for everything they've done here.

"Gather all available men and call on our _allies_ as well. We're marching to the port district; it's time we punish those worms for their treachery."

* * *

Author's note: _So there you have it: Talon is on the run, Blake is alive and free, the battle was won but the war is still on... The adventure on Menagerie is still far from over, though. Our heroes are gonna have to go through a whole load of shit (see what I did there? :-) to finally defeat the invaders and then... it's straight to Mistral, from the frying pan into the fire. At some point I might do an interlude where we'll get to look how team JNNYRR is doing._

 _Anyway, if everything goes well, I might finally get a job in the next few weeks. Got a few job interviews on my schedule so let's hope it all works out. It means I won't be able to update very often but I should be able to make one update per month, at least.  
_

 _To Crosswald: Posting the announcement to the previous fic was a good idea, too bad I didn't think of that. Thanks BTW. As soon as I did so, the traffic on my RWBY stories_ skyrocketed, _incredibly enough. Let's hope the readers won't be so out of the loop anymore._

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_______


	6. A1 C5) Liberation

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 5 – Liberation

At the boulevard, where a mob of bloodthirsty Talon fanatics was once gathered, there now stood a handful of frightened youngsters, too scared to even speak. Once their leader was slain and their once fearless comrades nearly trampled one another in a desperate stampede for safety, their previous courage vanished into thin air and they began tossing away their weapons. Now, as they were being manhandled by angry members of the militia, they could only thank the God for not letting them die in that fight. Alas, the relief didn't last long.

The captives sobered up very quickly once they realized they took part in a coup against the Chieftain of Menagerie. This was treason, one of the worst crimes... and it might earn them all a one-way ticket to the scaffold. There was no way Chieftain Belladonna would let them off without any punishment...

Unbeknownst to them, the Chieftain was observing the long column of captured Talon soldiers with a grim look as they were being taken to jail.

His very first thought was to have them all executed as a warning to other agressors... but once his rage ebbed away, he began noticing some unsettling details about those prisoners.

 _They were all so young..._ In fact, judging merely by appearance, not one of them was out of their teenage years. Perhaps that was the reason why the radical Fang, or Red Talon, had so much manpower for their insane campaign. The young ones were always so much easier to manipulate. It would only take a little push to make them join the fight. No doubt the venerable officers of the Talon filled their heads with the noble-sounding drivel about fighting for Faunus' freedom and bringing justice to the humans for the years of tyranny and all that.

 _Don't they realize violence can only breed violence? That all 'achievements' of White Fang since adopting a new radical strategy would sooner or later turn against them?_ However, it seemed no one ever gave much thought to the possible risks of the Fang's new direction. The new strategy worked and that was all they needed. And over time, 'equality through intimidation' eventually became 'kill all humans.'

 _Damn fools, do they really think humans will take this lying down?_

Worse, it was the Talon officers who dictated White Fang's goals and tactics... and the rest of the simply listened, showing nothing beyond unconditional obedience. Speaking of the Talon officers, Ghira saw only few of them in the large force that besieged his residence, including the bastard he killed with his bare hands.

Perhaps it was arrogance as they apparently considered the battle to be over in Talon's favor... or they sent all the young ones while the senior warriors all remained somewhere in the rear echelon. Just so their forces wouldn't be weakened too much if anything went wrong.

To use the soldiers, youngsters or even kids, as mere cannon fodder... Ghira felt a wave of fury washing over him.

Talon were acting like humans in more ways than they realized... more than they would ever admit.

 _Or maybe we all act like that, no matter the race... Maybe it's just in our nature._

This was not the time for philosophical ruminations, though.

In just a few minutes, the troops of Volunteer Army of Menagerie would make a move on Kuo Kuana's port district, the last point of Talon resistance. As of this moment, they could only guess what kind of damage the invaders caused while rampaging through the city... but what Ghira knew for certain: they were going to pay dearly for this offense. Sooner or later, whatever remained of the Talon forces would be wiped out and Menagerie would once again have peace... for however long it would last.

The Chieftain caught footsteps approaching from behind. When he turned around he was faced with the sight of an officer, a coyote Faunus of his age. "Anything to report, Wiley?"

"We are almost prepared to launch an attack against the Talon positions in the port district." The officer answered readily. "Our troops downtown have surrounded the area and blocked all possible access routes. No one gets in or out without us knowing it. Several other units will also be ready to create a diversion simultaneously with our assault to improve our chances."

"Good to hear," Ghira nodded. "The sooner we make a short work of those rats, the better. Do you have some estimate on the damages the Talon attack caused?"

Officer Wiley sighed. "We only saw glimpses so far, however it seems pretty clear that the Talon wreaked havoc on this city. Almost as if they made it their goal to cause as much chaos and destruction as possible. Burned out houses, demolished property, attacking everyone in sight..." The soldier paused momentarily, carefully considering words, before he continued. "Pardon me for using this comparison but... Talon troopers were acting like _enraged beasts,_ lashing out blindly at everything that got too close. The witnesses we questioned would tell you the same."

Were it any other case, Ghira would feel very insulted. It was bad enough that humans compared his people to animals all the time. In Talon's case, however, these words were justified. "How many casualties?"

"At least a hundred dead and many more wounded." Wiley explained. "Mostly fighting men but it's possible that some civilians died during the assault. We won't know for sure until Talon's dealt with."

This was not what Ghira wanted to hear. The thought of those bloodthirsty fanatical _beasts_ not only ripping his city apart but also murdering his people, for whatever twisted reason... it filled him with unbridled rage. "Thank you for the news." He said finally, his voice tight. "Now, go and prepare your men. I want them prepared for the attack in fifteen minutes. No point in delaying this any longer."

"Will do, Chieftain." The officer saluted and took his leave.

Talon would not get away with everything they did here... Ghira would make sure of that.

* * *

While the Chieftain had been gathering men for the final assault on the besieged port district, the students from Beacon retreated to the manor, taking the opportunity to get some rest, even a brief one. True, it might have been better to attack right away while the enemy's forces were in disarray... but doing that might backfire easily. After all, Talon never played fair and there was no telling what kind of dirty tricks they had up their sleeve.

Besides, the break was well-deserved. Team TNDR had helped to turn a seemingly inevitable defeat into a miraculous victory which was assured by the timely arrival of the militia.

While it was true that the outcome might've been way different without Amitola's little stratagem... but despite all that, Tanya couldn't really bring herself to be grateful to a turncoat that could potentially stab them all in the back later.

And having to rub cow dung all over themselves as a part of the plan sure didn't help Amitola's position. Sure, they had enough time to wash the filth off of them... but the feeling of humiliation would linger on a little longer.

A part of Tanya's mind wondered if she wasn't being too harsh with the girl, after all. It was only thanks to her intervention that Chieftain Belladonna didn't give up his life for that of his daughter, only to watch her get cut down in the would-be last moments of his life... and her trick gave them all a chance against the overwhelming number of Talon soldiers that descended upon them after the first shot was fired.

And it was only thanks to her that Blake managed to escape a certain death.

As soon as the battle was over, Blake was rushed to her father's manor where the best medics around were treating her wounds. Aside from her mother who flat out refused to leave her side, no one was allowed to go near her, not even her friends. Tanya didn't know what her teammates thought but even if she could, she personally wasn't inclined to go visit her, no matter how terrible she might've felt about it.

What was she supposed to say to her, anyway? 'You left your own partner when she needed you most, you were off doing Oum-knows-what while we had to throw ourselves against the Grimm almost every day, you didn't come back to help when White Fang unleashed monsters upon Vale City and you damn near got yourself killed thanks to your suicidal campaign against your former buddies... but _boy_ am I glad to see you again!'

No, this just didn't work that way.

Blake might've been through a lot in the past few months and Tanya hated seeing her in the sorry state Talon torturers put her into. Still, it didn't change things. Blake had a lot to explain, to everyone that cared about her... and if she wasn't willing to talk, then Tanya herself would be done with her.

What was the point in having her back if she wouldn't have theirs?

And on another note, ever since the drop at the marketplace, she didn't receive any news from the Atlesian VTOL and its crew. Could it mean they somehow got shot down? That would be very bad because that airship carried practically all their supplies; food, clothes, ammo, Dust... They'd be dead in the water without it.

The door to the room she stood in, the same room she thrashed during her earlier scuffle with Ilia, opened abruptly without warning. Hands on her sabers, she turned around. Since the Belladonna residence and its surroundings were secured, there was no real possibility that Talon might've broken in... but one can't be too careful, right?

Tanya relaxed once she recognized her teammate Roland standing in the doorway. The gunman looked pretty good for someone who survived dozens of human-hating terrorists ganging up on him. Not that he'd let them get the drop on him, of course.

"Thought I'd find you here," He remarked casually and walked inside, eyeing the furniture around the room, a good portion of which was smashed to pieces. "Damn... I know some of us need to vent our frustration every now and then but it's generally not a good idea to break your host's shit."

Tanya rolled her eyes at her friend's jab. "Did you really just tell me that? Because that sounds more like something you'd do."

Roland put one of his hands on his chest, feigning hurt. "Ouch, that was mean... but really, what did you do?"

"I caught Ilia sneaking through here back during the fight." She shrugged. "I didn't know at the time she was a turncoat, thought she was a spy or something... so I attacked. And a lot of pretty things got broken in the process."

He gave a low whistle. "Wow... Belladonna must've been pissed."

"He was, though given the circumstances I think I earned my pardon." Tanya chuckled. "But anyway, how are the guys doing?"

"Pretty good, all things considered." Roland answered, sitting down on one of the intact chairs. "Emery got nicked a few times but he's healed up already. Dunno how exactly this regeneration thing of his works but it fixes him up in no time."

"Yeah, it's pretty damn amazing. Shit, I still remember that day when he got blown up by a bomb and within minutes he was a picture of health again... and what about Nick?"

Roland sighed. "Physically, he's totally fine. But I guess having to fight his own people affects him more than he thought. I mean, imagine being called traitor over and over again simply for doing the right thing... Sure, those Talon types are bad guys, obviously, but they're still Faunus and- I guess I can imagine how tough it must be for Nick."

"Guilt-tripped by a bunch of murderers and terrorists... can't say I'm surprised, really." Tanya accidentally kicked a piece of shattered pottery as she paced slowly around the room. "Then again, Talon is renowned for its hypocrisy."

That earned a chuckle from the rifleman. "Amen to that. Though speaking of traitors..." Roland lowered his voice. "Do you really think we can trust that Amitola chick?"

She stopped pacing, carefully mulling over the response. It wasn't like she hated Amitola for her past allegiances, not really. And if she turned her back to Talon, despite all the dangers, then good for her; maybe she wasn't a lost cause, after all. But still... after witnessing everything the White Fang extremists did in the last few months, how her father was condemned to death simply because he employed Faunus in his shipyards... Maybe Amitola did deserve a chance but Tanya couldn't bring herself to trust someone who supported White Fang even after all the barbaric deeds they did.

"You okay there, Tan?"

Damn she got so lost in thought she didn't even notice the awkward pause... and she still had no clear answer.

With a resigned sigh, she said "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

"Well, you better make up your mind fast." Roland stated in a serious tone. "Because if her 'I wanna atone for my sins' attitude really is just a farce, it might come back to bite us in the ass later. We gotta be careful here."

Maybe he was right, Tanya surmised. It paid off to be careful, especially in this particular case. "Okay, we can keep an eye on her for now. If she does anything suspicious, I'll be ready to put the squeeze on her."

"Good enough, I guess." The gunman agreed. "I'm not about to take any chances with her, not after Merc and Emmy."

The mention of the two spies/sidekicks of Cinder Fall brought back some unpleasant memories.

"But do you think she'll betray us?" Tanya asked him. "I mean, I didn't trust her at all at first but right now, I'm kinda willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. I mean, she did help us."

"And I said I'm not taking any chances. I got fooled once and I nearly died; I'm not going through the same shit again-"

Without warning, the door flew open. Another person stepped inside... and much to their dismay, it was the subject of their latest conversation.

Ilia Amitola regarded them with an impassive stare. She didn't seem to have overheard them talking about her which was definitely a good thing. Tanya didn't need another argument on her hands.

Nobody said a word at first. Then after a couple seconds of uncomfortable silence Tanya finally thought to ask "Can we help you?"

The Faunus girl blinked once, caught off guard by the simple question. "The Chieftain's just given the word to commence the assault. Gather your team and head to the courtyard; we're moving out soon." Not waiting for an answer from the human hunters in training, Ilia vanished as quickly as she appeared.

Roland and Tanya shared a look. "She got on Ghira's good side pretty quickly, eh?" The gunman remarked.

"Either he's a better judge of character than both of us or he's getting desperate, just enough to trust a turncoat." Tanya headed towards the entrance. "Let's find our other half and head out; the sooner we push the Talon and their attack dogs off this island, the better."

* * *

Based on the information from scouts, whatever remained of Red Talon's attack force had barricaded themselves inside the port district, blocking every access route. The rumors of those terrorists using captured civilians as meat shields weren't confirmed yet possible hostage situation couldn't be excluded. Every attempt to break through the barricade was met with fierce resistance... and the few spies that had the luck of slipping inside unnoticed soon learned the reason.

While the grunts were risking their lives holding the attackers back, the high officers of the Talon were preparing to escape Menagerie, to flee and leave their men behind as 'acceptable casualties.' Did the ordinary soldiers know what they were fighting for? To die just so their leaders could save their own hide? Most likely not, but even if the opposite was true, they'd do it gladly, especially after months of relentless ideological brainwashing.

Ultimately, while the ordinary troopers were dangerous, it was the officers that needed to be dealt with. If they managed to escape this day, sooner or later they'd bring up another generation of trained killers to throw at Red Talon's enemies... and that simply couldn't be allowed to happen.

The plan was relatively simple. The militia would put constant pressure on the defenders and keep them busy while small groups of infiltrators would slip into their territory and sabotage the roadblocks, allowing the militia to advance. It was a well-known fact the officers were the most dangerous warriors Talon had so numbers were needed to take them down. Once the militia's main force broke through the barricade, Talon's defeat would only be a matter of time.

Everyone knew this task would be far from easy... but little did they know how much more complicated this mission would become.

The attack came without much warning. Soldiers of the Volunteer army of Menagerie started peppering the Talon's position with gunfire. After the brief moment of confusion and panic, the enemy responded in kind. Casualties started mounting on both sides but neither would budge. While battle raged all around, one of the militia's commanders held a battered megaphone and shouted towards the Talon barricade.

" _Where are your leaders? Those venerable commanders that would lead you towards your future? I know the answer: they're hiding in your rear echelon and letting you throw yourself at us just so they could escape! Why do you keep delaying the inevitable? Why fight and bleed for people that will_ never _do the same for you? Surrender now and the Chieftain may yet show mercy!"_

While the speech did disrupt the morale of Talon grunts, it didn't stop them from fighting back. It seemed dying at the hands of the Menagerie soldiers was a better alternative to whatever hell their superiors had in store for them if they ignored their orders. Or they simply were beyond any reason...

It hardly made a difference. Bottom line: if they fought back, they needed to be dealt with.

While the militia and Talon units were busy doing their damnedest to push one another off their positions, the infiltration teams were sent to sabotage the barricades to the port district. These groups consisted of people hand-picked by Chieftain Belladonna himself... and Tanya and her team were in one such group, along with Ilia Amitola. It wasn't something that sit well with any of them but given the circumstances, they were willing to look past their differences for now.

Of course, Tanya was ready to put Amitola down herself in case the girl double-crossed them...

Getting behind the enemy's lines sure wasn't easy. Despite their recent losses, Talon made sure that every access route to their territory was covered. True, some of those paths were guarded by people that looked _way too young_ and had most likely little training and experience. Despite that, it would be challenging to get rid of them without raising an alarm and having dozens of Talon thugs descend on them like vultures on a carcass.

So when Nicolaus noticed a narrow unguarded alley between two run-down buildings, Tanya's mind was instantly put on high alert.

"You think this is a trap?"

"Might be... but it also could be a stroke of luck." Nicolaus was quick to point out. "Can we afford not to use it?"

"I don't like this." Roland frowned. "You heard the Chieftain; Talon officers need to hold this place as long as possible if they want to escape. Why would they make a rookie mistake such as this?"

The fox Faunus was about to reply when Emery suddenly butted in. "Guys, Amitola's gone!"

The sword-wielding titan looked very uncomfortable when everyone looked at him. "What do you mean 'gone'?" Tanya demanded.

"Just like I said, she ain't here!" Emery stammered. "She was standing next to me one moment, then in the next she was just gone!"

"Well that's just great!" Roland growled in frustration. "Now every Talon grunt will know we're running around on their turf!"

"Let's not be so quick to assume," Nicolaus said, trying to calm everyone down. "Maybe she just ran ahead to clear the way."

"And what if she didn't?" The rifleman challenged. "What if she just took the chance to run back to her terrorist buddies and fuck us all over?"

Tanya decided to intervene to calm down the fraying tempers. "We can't do anything about it now. Let's just go, quickly before anyone notices us!"

Until the militia units broke through the Talon's defense, they wouldn't have any backup. And if the hostile troopers jumped them in the same force as back during the battle at Belladonna residence, the odds would be very much against them.

So they set out down the empty alley, with Nicolaus up front and Emery as the last, watching their back. The faint sounds of gunfire and cries reached them from the distance, but the alley before them was empty and quiet... and Tanya wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

Then Nicolaus suddenly halted and put his left fist up; a sign to stop.

Tanya quietly approached him, hands on her sabers. "What is it?"

The fox Faunus pointed wordlessly at a figure slumped near the garbage can. It was a young male sporting a Talon uniform, his head hanging low and his blade lying in the dirt nearby.

"Someone knocked him out from behind and dumped him here." Nicolaus said quietly.

"Could Amitola have done that?" Tanya questioned.

"Possibly."

Roland scoffed at the answer. "Won't believe it until I see it."

"Let's move on." The leader commanded. "Nick, go first and find us a way to the nearest barricade."

In the next few minutes, Nicolaus led them through the narrow alleys of the port district. He didn't know the layout of the place but he didn't even need to. Following the sounds of gunfire was enough. Very shortly the Beacon students made it to a broad passage blocked with all sorts of garbage; logs, trash cans, carts, old rusted fork lifts, containers, literally anything they could use. On one side of this barricade a few dozen Talon troopers were taking cover and firing at the militia that was slowly drawing closer.

The enemy was so busy keeping the attackers at the distance they completely failed to notice four intruders peering at them from an alley right behind the barricade. A mistake that was about to cost them very soon.

"They didn't see us yet," Nicolaus observed and turned to look at the team leader. "How do you want to do this?"

Tanya devised a plan almost immediately.

"Gunny, you still have enough Dust for a full overcharge?"

"You got it," Roland nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

"See that part of the barricade?" She pointed subtly at the portion right in the middle, consisting of logs, carts, crates and other kinds of light debris. "Looks like a weak spot; if you hit it with a full-charged shot, I'm sure it'll go in pieces."

"And the fragments could do some serious damage, on their own too." The gunman filled in. "Got it."

"And once Gunny takes the shot, we'll attack while those chumps over there are still disoriented." Tanya continued. "Any questions?" Nobody had any objections. "Then let's do this."

Distracted by their effort to hold back the advancing militia, Talon goons were left completely defenseless against the onslaught from behind.

First, the middle portion of the barricade suddenly exploded; a flashy courtesy of the Thunderbolt. Pieces of wood and metal flew out all over the place, causing much hurt. Whoever wasn't hit by the shrapnel got blinded and deafened as a result of the explosion. In this state, Talon troopers were an easy prey for the hunters in training, unable to put up a fight in their disoriented state.

Within a couple minutes, the roadblock was gone. The militia soldiers were pouring through the breached barricade, restraining the enemy troopers that were left unconscious after the Beacon students' surprise attack.

"I didn't know you had explosives!" One of the passing militiamen addressed them.

"In a manner of speaking," Roland offered an easy reply, stroking the frame of his rifle. "And no, you can't borrow it."

The dissappointment on the soldier's face couldn't be any clearer.

Alas, their work was far from done.

Tanya was speaking to one of the militia's officers. "Alright, you got the breach you wanted. What happens now?"

"We're still too low on manpower to launch the attack on Talon's headquarters." The beaver Faunus explained. If he had any issues with talking to a human, he didn't show a thing.

As he elaborated, the main problem was getting more men behind the enemy's lines to launch the final attack. Only so many people could pass through the narrow streets so they needed more openings to move in more men as quickly as possible because every delay could work in Talon's favor. It meant that team TNDR and other infiltrators had to keep searching and taking out other roadblocks to allow more militia units into the district.

Tanya agreed to the officer's request. If it helped take out Talon faster, she'd do it. Ilia's sudden disappearance still bugged her but she could worry about it later. They had job to do.

* * *

The officer was right to assume the Talon would try their damnedest to push the militia out of its territory. Not even ten minutes after the first breach a large unit of Talon goons attacked. The militia had little trouble keeping them at bay... but the attack proved one thing.

Any delays could put the whole operation at risk.

Deep inside Kuo Kuana's port district, team TNDR was searching for another road block to tear down. The sounds of gunfire drew gradually closer as the battle moved deeper into the Talon's territory. So far, no one intercepted their path but given how things were going, it was only a matter of time before they encountered resistance.

Sooner than expected, after running down a seemingly endless alley another barricade came into their view.

But instead of finding a few chumps hiding behind random junk blocking the street, they happened upon a massacre.

The barricade itself was already dismantled and the militia was advancing forward only to be halted by a large force of warriors in red and black uniform and wearing uncomfortably familiar red masks. Tanya could tell at the first glance that those people were cut above Talon's regular grunts, easily fighting off the attacking troops.

No, it was even worse than that. The militia was no match for the red masks at all. This wasn't a battle, it was a one-sided slaughter.

For a moment, Tanya just watched, unable to do anything. Seeing the red masks almost casually massacring the militia men seemed to paralyze her.

Then Nicolaus elbowed her side, bringing her out of the petrified state.

"Look! There are officers in the back!" She looked where her teammate was pointing and indeed, she noticed several individuals sporting officer garbs, the same kind worn by that cocky bastard who delivered an ultimatum to the Chieftain Belladonna... and paid for his daring with his life. For a moment, she wondered what they were doing here instead of hiding. Why join the fight now when they clearly couldn't be bothered to support their soldiers earlier?

Nicolaus had an answer, however; one that she didn't like at all.

"They're trying to break through and escape!"

That was something they couldn't allow.

"Right there!" Roland suddenly butted in with a half-shout, half-growl. "It's the fucker from Arcwind! The one that nearly blew up my family!"

The same White Fang lieutenant that Weiss Schnee had a run in with during her mission to Mountain Glenn. This just kept getting better...

The militia soldiers were getting thrashed badly so the only ones standing between the Talon big-shots and the escape route were Tanya and her friends. She knew that if the battle at the Belladonna manor was difficult, then this would be much worse. The goons before them were merciless killers, that much was clear, and going toe-to-toe with them would be a pain, possibly literally. There was a good chance she'd come to regret this decision... but she had made up her mind.

"Guys, we're taking those chumps down."

"I'm with you, Skipper. Just say the word." Roland muttered back, clutching his gun tightly.

"Shouldn't we send someone to the commander you spoke to earlier?" Nicolaus suggested. "Those red masks are clearly no pushovers; we'll need all the help we can get."

"I'll take care of it; now let's go!" And with that, the girl darted out of cover, straight towards the cordon of red-masked killers.

Decimated by Talon's relentless onslaught, the militia soldiers had half the mind to retreat, orders be damned. Then a miracle happened. The weather was calm that day; almost uncomfortably hot with nary a breeze. Yet suddenly, out of nowhere, a strong blast of wind struck, right in the faces of Talon's kill squad and their masters. Some of them got knocked to the cold ground and while the rest of them managed to stay on their feet, they ended up staggering around trying to regain the lost balance. More strangely, the phenomenon didn't seem to even touch the militia. Almost instantly, there were thoughts, whispers of a divine intervention, a clear sign that the God was on _their_ side, not Talon's.

The reality was much more simple, though. There was no divine intervention, not really; it was Tanya Griffon releasing a powerful shockwave right into the ranks of red-masked thugs. The move was very effective, especially when combined with a couple of full-charged explosive shots from Roland and hail of bullets from Nicolaus' weapon.

The sight of four hunters in training attacking the still recovering Talon goons inspired hope in the several soldiers that remained of the decimated militia unit and instead of running away they began fighting back with renewed fervor.

On the other side of the battle, Talon officers were hanging back, leaving all the fighting to their red-masked protectors.

 _Typical,_ Tanya thought with disdain as she watched them flee. Stepping over a fallen body, she slashed at the nearest goon who was picking himself off the ground. The saber's edge dug a deep gash across his upper back and side and knocked him back down. Tanya didn't stop to make sure the goon was out of the fight for good; there was no time. Her team might've not faced such overwhelming numbers like earlier... but their opponent was far more dangerous, very unlike the usual hapless grunts.

She just couldn't stop; none of them could if they wanted to survive this.

Leaping up, she spin-kicked another thug right in the face, the braces on her legs making the hit even more devastating. She saw her teammates engaging the red masks; Nicolaus brandishing a rifle-mace in one hand and a whip in the other, Emery swinging around his great-sword which was almost as tall as some of his opponents, Roland firing off several burst into the disoriented goons before switching to melee.

However, their opponents overcame the initial confusion and started fighting back and at that moment things were no longer easy. Tanya realized that the first time she had to avoid a blade coming her way. She knocked the offending weapon away and planted a kick in the attacker's chest, following with an uppercut slash for a good measure. It was enough to put the goon down but another took his place... and then another.

The red masks seemed to single her out as the most dangerous. Any other time she might've felt complimented but right now, it spelled some serious trouble.

Right now, there were at least three red masks dogging her every step.

Twisting a weaving her way through the offending goons, Tanya dodged the incoming attacks easily enough. One tried to block her way and stabbed at her chest with a wicked-looking dagger. With one swift flued movement, she disarmed him and tripped him up just as she ducked under a slash coming at her head. Then she felt someone grabbing her from behind. Without thinking, she snapped her head backwards, eliciting a yelp from the assailant as she hit im squarely in the nose. Then she unleashed her Semblance on the guy in front of her just as he was about to ram his sword into her belly, blasting him away along with a couple other goons that had the misfortune of standing too close to him. She then whirled around, swinging blindly at whoever was behind her. Her sabers found their mark, judging by the pained scream.

Having made more space for herself, Tanya leapt into action again. She became a whirlwind of movements, darting in between the thugs that converged on her and dealing several precise blows in quick succession before taking off to her next victim. She managed to take down another one after parrying his attack and stabbing her blades in both his legs... but the rest of them managed to counter her attacks. Worse, they stubbornly pursued her despite the injuries she caused them, hell bent on taking her down.

The last guy she attacked not only blocked her blow but he launched a vicious counterattack, forcing her into defensive. Worse, as the Talon goons converged on her, she had increasingly less space for maneuvering. She was starting to feel like a mouse constricted by a snake. Giving up attacking, she focused entirely on findind the rest of her team and not getting hit in the process.

Unfortunately for her, the red masks wouldn't let her go that easily.

For the first time in that fight, Tanya felt being hit. It was just a glancing blow on her legs, not severe enough to cause damage... but it did succeed in throwing her off balance.

She ended up stumbling right into a blade that struck her right in the chest. If it weren't for her Aura, she'd be bleeding all over the place right now.

The goons descended upon her like a pack of wolves.

Tanya did her best to defend herself against the onslaught, fighting like a cornered animal. She was moving at a frenzied pace, her sabers breaking into a deadly dance of steel, cutting flesh and drawing blood. Yet not even her best was enough to keep her from taking hits, not when her opponents were willing to put themselves at risk just to destroy her.

Her Aura was still protecting her but she could already feel the strain. The moment one sneaky bastard tried sticking a dagger in between her ribs, she decided enough was enough.

Drawing on her available Aura, she created a massive windblast that dispersed the crowd of assailants, sending them flying in all directions. The feat left her light-headed and panting with exertion but it gave her a chance to catch a breath.

She took a moment to look around the site of battle. There were dead and injured on both sides but her team and the remaining militia men were holding their own against the killers in red masks. Even the Talon officers were forced to join the fight. She saw her partner taking on his nemesis from Arciwnd, the lieutenant with the chainsaw blade... and he seemed to be winning.

And Emery was plowing his way through the Talon goons, working with Nicolaus who watched his back. Spinning around, dodging, twirling his greatsword in an unusually intricate pattern... she never thought he could fight like that.

She raised her own blades, ready to join the fight again... but before she could get the chance, something grabbed her from behind and flung her into a dark alley behind her.

She winced in pain as she landed hard on her side but managed to roll into a crouch, ready to leap into action. Looking up, she saw a huge figure approaching her, bull horns jutting out of their forehead. It was a male, almost as tall as Emery but nearly twice as muscular, wielding a massive hammer; his face was obscured by a red masks but she still saw the predatory glint in his eyes.

Tanya stood up, squashing all fear. "Alright, you want a go?" She all but hissed at the approaching pile of muscle.

The thug cocked his head, almost as if mocking her.

Not waiting for further response, Tanya darted forward.

The giant swung his hammer at her with a surprising speed. She managed to duck narrowly under the blow and took a leaping swing at him, striking his chest. The blow elicited a grunt from him but did absolutely no damage.

 _Aura... should've known..._

She tried to circle around him and hack at his back... but she was suddenly flung into a wall by a vicious backhand.

 _How can he move that fast?!_

Ignoring the pain, Tanya pushed herself off the wall, winding up for another attack. The goon was already upon her and grabbed her by the throat, squeezing hard.

She dropped her sabers and started fighting against his grip. Suddenly, her strength seemed to leave her and it became very difficult to breathe. She tried to summon her Aura to blast the offender away... but nothing happened.

The giant laughed at her attempt. "Useful skill, the ability to drain people's Aura, don't you think?"

Panic started to set in once she realized what happened. She couldn't do anything as he dragged her deeper into the alley, his huge hand constricting her throat.

Her assailant suddenly stopped and she found herself being thrown roughly onto the ground, among containers and all other sorts of junk. Before she could do anything, his hand found her throat again, pressing her down. The thug straddled her legs, keeping them in place. She tried to push him away but to no avail.

He was far stronger than her.

The sounds of fighting were growing in intensity. Even if her friends knew where she was or what was happening to her, they had their hands full. She was completely on her own.

It was difficult to speak when his hand was squeezing her windpipe. It didn't stop her from trying. "Get off of me, you-"

Ignoring her attempts to escape, the goon reached out with his free hand and grabbed her blouse. She had no time to wonder what the hell he was doing when he tugged forcefully, ripping the blouse open.

Only then it dawned on her what he was about to do. She started fighting back even harder, prompting him to tighten the grip on her throat.

"No- Don't you dare-" It came out as almost unintelligible garbling... but the thug understood anyway.

"And why not?" He hissed lowly, as he proceeded to rip her bra in two, exposing her breasts. "Your kind has been _fucking_ mine for decades! Now it's time for payback!"

Her vision started to darken on the edges... yet death by strangulation seemed more appealing than the feeling of the rough calloused hand roaming her exposed body. She felt helpless tears welling in her eyes but she wouldn't give that bastard the satisfaction of turning her into a quivering wreck, pleading for mercy... like his comrades did to Dew Gayl.

The thug suddenly flipped her onto her stomach, releasing her legs and neck; only for a moment but it was all she needed. Using all her strength she kicked back; she didn't see where she hit but the pained roar was telling volumes about her aim.

Taking the opportunity that presented itself, Tanya sprung to her feet and attacked, her martial training kicking in. Not caring about her state of partial undress, she threw a vicious punch at the goon's face, following with a high kick that knocked his mask off.

The goon recovered too quickly, however, and he caught her next punch easily, pulling her towards him and then twisting her arm behind her back so forcefully she yelped in pain.

"Not bad... _but not good enough..._ " The thug rumbled mockingly. He proceeded to push her against the wall and his free hand grabbed the hem of her pants. Tanya was stricken with panic, still trying to get out of her predicament... but that brute would break her arm like a twig if she made a wrong move-

Her train of thought was violently interrupted by an electric shock that seized every muscle in her body. This time, she couldn't hold back a scream.

Her assailant released her... and the pain stopped. She nearly slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. A second passed before she realized that the scream that echoed throughout the alley wasn't her own.

She turned around... only to find the horned brute convulsing on the ground, screaming his head off in agony. There was a whip wrapped around his neck, pulsating with bright blue light, and it was currently blasting tons of electricity right into his body.

Tanya was honestly taken aback by the unexpected turn of events... even more so once she recognized the wielder of that deadly weapon.

Part of her mind wanted to scream at the chameleon Faunus before her; for leaving them without a word, for not watching their back, for running away from a fight... but right now, she couldn't be more relieved to see her.

"Are you alright?" Ilia asked.

"I'm-"

Tanya caught herself. Who was she kidding? The guy that was currently on the floor crying like a baby while being pumped full of electric current, that same bastard tried to _rape_ her just moments ago and he damn near succeeded. Of course she wasn't alright! This wasn't supposed to happen; she was the unstoppable warrior, a self-proclaimed master of ass-kicking. Damsel in distress was not a role she was familiar with... and this recent experience terrified her more than she was willing to admit.

But would she let it ruin her? _Hell no._

"I'm okay. Worry more about yourself." Tanya finally replied and started buttoning up her jacket, the only thing protecting her modesty. Every single button on her blouse was torn off, not to mention the bra which was ripped in half. "Where were you, anyway?"

By that time, the goon at their feet blacked out from pain. Ilia turned her whip off and flicked her wrist. As the whip unwound from around the goon's neck, its bladed end cut deeply into his throat. Tanya couldn't help it but wince as blood started flowing from the gash. True, that guy was a rotten bastard and deserved everything he got and worse, but still...

"Talon held some people hostage; I wanted to get them out before they could execute them." Ilia explained.

So that's why she left so early on? "And why didn't you tell us beforehand?"

The Faunus grew a little irritated. "And have you try and stop me? Not a chance. Besides, you'd never get inside unseen; I had to do this on my own." Ilia turned away from her and headed out of the alley. "Let's go; the battle is almost over. The militia came here running as fast as they could, including the Chieftain and his personal guard. All that's left of Talon are a few stragglers."

 _Quite a fortunate coincidence,_ Tanya thought as she followed the other girl, picking up her sabers along the way.

Ilia wasn't exaggerating. All that was left of Red Talon's formidable invasion force were barely two dozens of warriors, most of them officers and hardened veterans, all trying desperately to hold out against a large force of Menagerie soldiers that pushed them into a corner. Much to her relief, Tanya found out her teammates, while battered and bruised, were alive and kicking.

They could've simply waited and let them finish the job... but Tanya was pissed, itching to take her anger and frustration on someone. And the remaining Talon thugs were a perfect target. And that she had almost no Aura left after those horrible ten-or-so minutes with the horned goon? There were dozens of people watching her back; all she had to do was _not get hit_... and she was pretty good at that.

The ensuing fight was short but intense. The remaining Talon fighters fought with no regard to their own lives, their sole goal to kill as many enemies as possible even if they died in the process. A fanaticism at its finest.

First man to attack Tanya literally impaled himself on her sabers yet he still nearly took her head off.

The lieutenant, 'Buzzsaw' was among Talon's last men standing and despite all his wounds, he still kept going after Roland. The gunman had to smash his head with the blunt end of his axe several times to keep him down.

Tanya also witnessed how one officer managed to break through Emery's guard and run him through. She almos screamed with terror when it happened. Everyone was shocked when, without missing a beat, Emery approached his sneaky opponent, pushing the blade further into his body, reached out and snapped the guy's neck with his bare hands.

And she swore she saw a couple people faint when he tore the sword out of his body. Without his insanely fast regeneration, a by-product of Ajax's experiments, this feat would kill him. Emery told the stunned audience it was his Semblance, even as his wound mended itself in plain sight. Not sure how many believed this story...

Yet despite all their combat prowess, the red masks were eventually overwhelmed and killed to the last. That only left a trio of officers who tried to make their escape, only to find themselves smack in the center of a wide circle made of blades and guns pointing at them.

Ghira Belladonna made his way towards the surrounded warriors, all that remained of Red Talon on Menagerie.

"Listen up, usurpers!" His deep sonorous voice carried itself all over the place. "Your coup has failed! Your forces have been dismantled! Your atrocious, immoral ideology hasn't taken root in Menagerie, nor it ever will! _You have been defeated!_ Lay down your arms, give yourself up and take responsibility for all your crimes!"

At first, there was only dead silence. Nobody moved a muscle.

Then the officer in front bent down slowly, laying his sword on the ground.

One of militia's officers took a step forward.

A grave mistake.

The officer suddenly rolled up his left sleeve and showed a small device mounted to his forearm, with a single button.

"DEATH FIRST!"

He pushed the button before anyone could react.

Someone in the crowd shouted "Get down!"

Then their vision exploded into white.

* * *

Author's note: _So here goes the monthly update, just as I said it would. It looks I'm getting better at this 'keeping promises' thing LOL_

 _On the more serious note, I apologize if I made anyone uncomfortable by adding_ that _scene with the non-con elements. I've said it before that this fic wasn't gonna be all roses and puppies, that sometimes things would get messy and downright horrible (like in the real world). Everything has its purpose and this scene shows (and the previous fic referenced it too) that if you do horrible stuff to people then later on someone else, someone innocent might end up suffering because of it. Like Red Talon trying to kill off_ all _humans because_ some _of them treated Faunus like shit. This is what happens when you get 'justice' mixed up with 'revenge.'  
_

 _More positive news; I got myself a job! As an assistant in an audit company; I'm starting out in September so I'll have time to prepare, at least._

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_______


	7. A1 C6) Lost and found

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 5 – Lost and found

Seeing captive Talon goons scared out of their wits as they were being led away by angry militiamen should have provided some sense of satisfaction after everything that happened that day. Alas, Tanya couldn't bring herself to take pleasure in their well-deserved predicament.

They won the battle... but at a steep price.

She had been there when the remaining Talon officers, in their last act of spite and defiance, blew themselves up instead of surrendering. Shrapnel flew everywhere, killing and maiming anyone that got too close. Not even Tanya escaped unscathed. In fact, she would've been killed if someone hadn't knocked her to the ground.

Having pieces of metal pulled out of her body was excrutiatingly painful without desensitizers... but it was nowhere as terrible as knowing that the person who saved her life lost theirs.

Someone whose face she never saw and who probably never spoke a word to her gave up their life just so _she_ would survive. It ate away at her, especially when she had no chance to learn who saved her so she could at least pay her respects at their grave.

If she hadn't gotten so damn careless, that person could've lived.

If it weren't for her damn cockiness, Ilia wouldn't have to save her from the big bastard that tried to force himself on her.

Too many mistakes were made. Tanya realized it too late... and she had no one to blame but herself.

 _And here I am, moping instead of doing something... some leader I am..._

That single demeaning thought was enough to spur her into action. Her teammates and friends were around there somewhere, doing everything they could to help the locals; cleaning out rubble, putting out fires, helping the wounded, etc. About time she joined them, too.

She got up from her spot near the improvised infirmary, wincing as sharp pain shot through her body; a reminder of the multiple pieces of metal medics had to extract from her. Doing her best to ignore the burning sensation, began walking down the street before her. Maybe she'd run into her team along the way and help out with whatever they were doing, make herself useful in some way.

This particular street led to the parts of the city that survived the invasion unscathed. She hardly meet anyone there since most people were working away in the damaged areas. And the few commoners she met were giving her strange looks.

Tanya knew what that was about, of course. She was well aware of the current state of her clothes which were in a bad shape after the battle. Her jacket was tattered, with loose threads sticking out of several places, and her pants had several holes, the biggest one on the left thigh, and her blouse was missing all buttons.

Walking around with her attire in such miserable state would make people mistake her for a beggar. She'd have to repair the damage sometime later... or try and find the stuff she and her team left on the airship.

Which in turn begged the question: Where has it gone? Did Talon somehow shoot it down? What happened to the crew?

Ever since the drop at the marketplace, there was no word from the airship and its crew. Tanya was starting to worry something happened to them. So far, no one seemed to know anything, and Atlesian aircraft flying over a continent inhabited almost solely by Faunus would surely attract attention...

Her train of thoughts was suddenly broken by soft sniffling.

Tanya halted in her tracks and started looking for the source of the sounds. It seemed to be coming from a narrow alley to her left, filled with junk of all kinds. Her first instinct was to go there and investigate. Maybe someone was injured or in distress and needed help... and what kind of person would she be if she just ignored it like if nothing happened?

After a brief deliberation another possibility came to her mind. Could it be a trap? Not by Talon, of course; those guys were finished, at least in Menagerie. Robbers were more likely, trying to draw in an unsuspecting victim and ambushing them when they least expected it. It was a very likely scenario, especially in a backward place such as this.

Nevertheless, Tanya decided to check it out, just in case this really proved to be an emergency. Taking slow, careful steps, she entered the alley, keeping her hands close to her sabers. There was a lot of mess strewn around; broken furniture, garbage, empty boxes, cartons, metal tubes and various other stuff no one needed or wanted. It was difficult to move past all that; an ideal hiding place, now that she thought about it. No one would ever bother searching through this pile of trash.

The further down the alley she went, the louder the sniffling grew. She knew she was on the right track but still checked her surroundings for anything suspicious. If this was a trap after all, she wanted to be prepared.

Making her way through the piles of trash was unpleasant, especially the ever-present putrid stench, but a while later she made it to the place where the narrow alley broadened into a wide space enclosed by the tall houses. There wasn't any less trash around but it was gathered at the walls surrounding the space, which allowed to move around more freely.

Tanya scanned the place carefully for anything out of place, ready to draw Terror Twins at the first signs of trouble. No matter how carefully she looked, there was nothing suspicious. It seemed there was truly no one else around but her and whoever it was that needed saving.

The almost eerie silence was only disturbed by quiet sobbing that seemed to come from a pile of carton boxes on the far side of the yard.

 _A young woman... or a kid,_ Tanya guessed as she listened carefully. "Hello?" She tried calling out to get some sort of reaction from whoever was hiding out there. If she simply walked up to their hiding spot it would startle them and she wanted to avoid that.

There was a quiet gasp and then the sobbing instantly stopped.

 _Damn it,_ she cursed to herself. She startled them and now they'd run away from her.

"Listen, whoever you are, you don't need to be afraid of me, okay?" She tried again, hoping they'd listen. "I don't want to hurt you; I came here to help... Will you let me?"

There was no answer.

Tanya wouldn't give up so easily. "It's pretty rude to keep a lady waiting, you know that?" She joked, determined to get through to the person hiding out there.

The jest received no response.

She ran her hand through her hair, sighing as she felt her frustration build up. This seemed to be getting nowhere; nonetheless, she made one last attempt. "Look, I can wait all day if I have to. I got the time." She spoke again, trying to sound nonchalant. "If you want me to go away that's okay... _but_ _I need to hear you say it._ Otherwise I'm not g-"

A shuffling noise caught her attention. She promptly turned her head towards the source of the racket.

The small shape that was creeping out of the heap of carton stopped dead in its tracks as soon as she laid eyes on it.

A small Faunus boy stared back at her like a deer caught in the headlights; he couldn't have been more than six years old. As her eyes adapted to the dim light, she began making out details of his appearance; lithe frame, mop of short, messy red hair, small rounded animal ears, strikingly blue eyes, face covered in freckles, clad in shorts and a t-shirt that looked a size too big on him.

Tanya didn't move a muscle as to not startle the boy who stared at her with wide eyes. At first she thought the kid was homeless. It seemed likely given the state of his clothes; ripped up shorts, shirt with multiple holes and no footwear. What really unsettled her were bruises on the boy's knees and arms, a faint outline of a hand encircling his left wrist, dried blood under his nose and a gash running down his forehead. Not to mention he was covered from head to toe in what appeared to be mud combined with dust.

All of these signs pointed to physical abuse... and it pissed her off. _Who in their right mind would do this to a little kid?!_

The two of them stared at one another without moving... until Tanya decided to break the awkward silence.

"You look terrible." Not the best way to start a conversation... but it came out faster than she could stop it.

The kid's frightened expression soured. "Like you're any better!" He snapped back, no longer crouching down.

Tanya couldn't help it but chuckle at the boy's offended reaction. The kid certainly had some fire in him. Even when standing tall, he barely reached up to her hips, yet a small jab was enough to make him forget about whatever trouble drove him into this dump and talk back to her without any fear.

"You sure don't mince words, do you?"

"And what are you gonna do about it, huh?" The kid challenged. "What if I said you look like you just climbed out of a dumpster? And that your boots are ugly?"

This actually got a laugh out of her. "Oh look at you; a little squirt that could fit in my back pocket and he already talks smack like a grown up!" At least he wasn't trying to run away anymore. "You kiss your mom with that mouth, too?"

As if with a flick of a switch, the boy's mood instantly soured. "Don't talk about mom!" He retorted, the earlier brash demeanor gone. "And she told me not to talk to strangers!"

"But we're already talking, aren't we?" She countered and took a gamble of a single slow step forward. "Does that still make us strangers?" The apprehensive reaction when she mentioned his mother was telling volumes. Could it be problems in the family? Or did something bad happen to his parents? More than before, Tanya was determined to find out.

The boy appeared nervous yet he hadn't moved an inch.

"Maybe if you took me to your mom she'd give me her approval; what do you think about that?" Another step forward...

The kid watched her very carefully as she approached. He looked ready to bolt... but for some reason he just stood there.

"I-" The words seemed to get stuck in his throat.

"How did you even wind up here, in the ass-end of the city?"

After a couple seconds of tense silence, the boy croaked "I got lost."

"How so?"

Only a couple paces now separated her from the boy. Despite all her efforts to calm him down, he still looked nervous. Whether it was her presence or something else, she couldn't tell.

"Why do you even care?"

Tanya was close enough to see the buck teeth that showed whenever he opened his mouth. She made one more step towards him and then got down on one knee to make him feel less intimidated. It seemed to be working because once she got at eye level with him his stiff posture relaxed, even if just a bit.

"Because helping people and solving problems... that's what I do for a living." It wasn't entirely true; she was only a huntress-in-training and years away from graduation. That is, if she even survived that long to see the day... but the boy didn't need to know that.

The boy stared back at her wordlessly for few more seconds, as if trying to find out if she was telling the truth.

Then out of the blue, he began rambling so fast she had trouble following him.

"I was doing my chores this morning when I heard this loud noise coming from outside-"

She didn't know what prompted the kid to start talking considering he was so wary of her before... but she wasn't about to complain. They were finally getting somewhere, at least.

"I went to look what was going on – our neighbors and other people were running away from something... I heard stuff blowing up somewhere – and then some guys with red-and-black getups came in, carrying weapons and stuff – that's when mom pulled me away from the window-"

 _Red-and-black getups..._ Those were Talon soldiers. From what Tanya understood, they stormed through the street where this boy lived. She was starting to have an inkling how this story would end yet she let the boy talk, hoping she would be mistaken.

"She told me to run to the back door, get out of the house and hide somewhere – said those guys out there were trouble and that she'd find me once they were gone – I was really scared I didn't wanna go but she made me – said those mean people would hurt me if they saw me-"

 _Of course they would, it's the only thing they're capable of doing..._ Tanya thought with disgust. She suspected the Talon goons gave this kid all those bruises.

"I tried to sneak out and make a break for it but those guys were in our backyard too, somehow – they caught me and started dragging me off somewhere, when I tried to fight them they hit me-"

 _I knew it..._ She could only guess why Talon did this. Could it be the part of forcible recruitment? Or perhaps a prospect of selling him on the slave market for extra money? Either was very well possible. Yet somehow, this boy managed to escape a bunch of hardcore terrorists and survived. Either he was very lucky or more capable than she gave him credit for...

"Then a huge airship showed up and started shooting at the bad guys – dunno why but they all started shooting back at it and- it was like if they forgot about me... so I ran, and ran until I couldn't anymore-"

Tanya only barely bit back a gasp when the kid mentioned a 'huge airship.' Could it be the Atlesian Humpback that flew her team to this land? If so, it could explain why its crew dropped out of contact... though she still thought it unlikely that Talon goons could actually shoot down the airship. Still, she had something to go after, at least.

"I hid in some old shed that no one used, I was so tired I fell asleep – then I woke up, walked out and saw that whatever was happening in the city was over – and I had no idea where I wound up... I walked around trying to find my way back but I didn't have no luck... I was hungry, tired and didn't know what to do-"

 _Poor thing..._

He looked like he was about to cry again... but could anyone blame him? Menagerie was a remote land, never given much attention from the four Kingdoms. And this little boy had probably never been exposed to things such as violence, killing, gunfire, bombs or anything related to war and fighting. Imagine his shock when Talon came in and started shooting this city up; all of the ugly aspects of reality dumped on him in one day. Nearly kidnapped by terrorists, his home ransacked or possibly destroyed and his family missing... no wonder he was so terrified.

No child should be exposed to the hell that war was.

The boy flinched a bit when Tanya laid her hand on his shoulder. He stared warily at the young woman who touched him, the slight scowl on his face confused rather than angry.

"Do you want me to help you get back home?" She asked gently. He didn't bat her hand away which was a good sign but the uneasy silence that ensued after her question was driving her crazy.

Did the little squirt even realize he was talking to a human? She had no idea... and she didn't even think of broaching this particular subject. The kid seemed to trust her, to some extent at least; telling him could ruin everything and she didn't want that.

Who knew what kind of tales were told about her people in this land... _Selfish entitled bastards that get a kick out of seeing Faunus suffer?_ Ironically enough, that was the first thing that came to her mind. Though fitting for some people, such description wasn't exactly fair overall; there was some good left in humankind, one just had to look deep enough...

Finally, the kid gave a nod; it was small and hesitant but it was a good enough answer.

"Was that so hard?" She chuckled as she stood up. "We should hurry up; it's getting late and I'm pretty sure your mom wouldn't be happy to find you wandering around after sundown." She looked around for a better away out of the yard than the one overflowing with trash.

"I don't even know where mom is; last I saw her was when I was running from the bad guys."The little Faunus was at her side, though keeping a bit of distance. "Got any idea where to go?"

"Not quite, but I'll find a way. People say I'm pretty good at that. Now follow me and don't wander off." She did her best to sound confident to reassure the kid. The truth was she was worried... mostly about what she'd find. Talon troopers laid waste everywhere they went during their failed conquest of the city. There was no doubt the kid's house was hit, too.

Would there even be anything left of his home? Did his mother even make it out alive? Tanya damn sure hoped so.

* * *

Navigating through Kuo Kuana was somewhat challenging and Tanya didn't blame the boy at her side for losing his way in this city, especially when he was scared witless by the Talon's sudden attack. Contrary to what she told him, she wasn't all that good at tracking things down; however, she did know which general direction to go, based on what he told her.

All they had to do was follow the rubble; cynical but true in this particular case.

Along the way, Tanya tried to make small talk with the Faunus kid at her side. Her attempt had no effect, at first; whether preoccupied by something else or simply not in the mood, he wouldn't say a word. After everything that had happened to him today, she shouldn't have been surprised. On the other hand, it made her think that he still didn't trust her. She didn't let it show but it bothered her because she believed she didn't do anything to deserve that attitude.

Not one to be deterred so easily, though, she kept trying... and eventually it paid off as the boy started getting more comfortable in her presence, enough to respond to her questions.

The kid's name was Basil and he lived in Kuo Kuana with his mother. His father worked in a factory in Mistral and sent most of the money he earned back to his family in Menagerie. As for Basil himself, he was an ordinary kid like everyone else, attending school, playing with other kids of his age, as carefree as he could possibly be. Except life was a bit different here than in a 'normal' city such as Vale; no computers, no virtual games, no CCN, in fact living here was more reminiscent of a countryside.

Still, Tanya did most of the talking as they walked through the nigh empty streets; speaking on various topics such as her interest in music and dance, her mischievous streak back in the elementary school, her future career... While talking about her studies at Beacon Academy, she couldn't help it but notice that Basil listened to her every word with undivided attention. The topic seemed to captivate him... and Tanya wasn't sure if she liked it. The life of a Hunter was nowhere as romantic as stories made it sound; she and all her friends from Beacon experienced it first-hand. If Basil took it into his head to follow in their footsteps, there was a chance it could kill him. Yet she didn't have the heart to dash his dreams by telling him the truth as she saw it.

Much to her relief, Basil didn't notice or object when she subtly shifted the topic to something not quite as... controversial.

By that time, they were starting to see signs of damage caused by intense fighting.

"We're getting close," Tanya said quietly to herself, prompting a questioning look from Basil.

"How would you know?"

"I told you I was good at this," She told him with a smile to mask her uneasiness. They were about to enter the part of the city that took heavy damage during the Talon incursion. It's been mere hours since the fighting ceased. All the dead bodies couldn't have been taken away in such short time... and Tanya sure didn't want Basil to see bloodied, mutilated corpses. The kid was traumatized enough already.

Basil didn't even protest when she took him by the hand.

On a hunch, Tanya headed down the street to her right, dragging Basil behind her. As the two moved along, the damage to the buildings became more apparent. Very soon, pieces of rubble littered the street before them; some houses had collapsed entirely and plumes of smoke were rising from their remains. Basil stared at the scene of destruction with wide eyes. The entire time, Tanya was scanning her surroundings looking for corpses just so she could keep Basil from seeing them.

They walked around like this for a while, their destination nowhere in sight. Then in a sudden turn of events, Tanya saw Nicolaus in a company of a couple militiamen. The fox Faunus looked pretty good for someone who spent the last several hours fighting almost without pause.

"You see that ginger in green over there?" She said to Basil. "That's my friend; mind if I say hello?"

The boy shrugged in response.

Needless to say, Nicolaus was surprised to see his team leader in the company of a little Faunus kid. "Where did you pick this one up, Skipper?" He asked with humor in his voice.

"Talon tried to kidnap him so he run away and got himself lost." Tanya explained, gesturing to the boy who seemed incredibly jittery in the company of strangers. "I promised Basil here I'd help him get back home."

"Good luck with that," One of the soldiers remarked. "Talon hit this part of the city hard. I don't think I saw a single house unscathed."

Basil suddenly pulled on the sleeve of Tanya's jacket. "I think I know where we are..."

"That's good; just let me talk to my buddy here for a bit and we'll be on our way." She told him quietly before turning back to Nicolaus. "Any news on our airship? They didn't contact us ever since the drop at the marketplace."

The moment his expression fell she knew something was terribly wrong.

"We found the airship... what was left of it, anyway."

 _Shit..._ How were they supposed to get to Mistral now? Not to mention they lost the little stuff they took with them; backup clothes, some food, ammo... all of it was now gone. Unless some kind of miracle happened.

"And the crew?"

"... they didn't make it."

A heavy weight settled in the pit of her stomach. She didn't really know them, but the Atlesian crewmen seemed like a decent bunch of people, given they got involved in a fight that wasn't theirs to begin with. And they paid for it with their lives. The feeling of self-loathing reared its ugly head again; if she told them to land somewhere safe instead of supporting her team... they could've survived.

Yet another mistake...

"We found the airship crashed into one of the houses a few blocks away." Nicolaus continued.

"Take us there, Nick." Tanya replied in a tight voice. "I need to see this for myself."

Nicolaus gave her a questioning look but obliged. "If you're sure... it's just this way." He started walking down the alley to his left, his team leader and the Faunus boy following a couple paces behind.

As they walked, Tanya leaned closer to Basil. "Listen, you might see some ugly things once we get there. Don't freak out if I put my hands over your eyes, okay?" The boy stared at her with a mix of bewilderment and apprehension but nodded in agreement.

The walk took only a few moments. In the meantime, Tanya learned from Nicolaus that most of the Humpback's cargo was lost. The ammo and Dust, sealed off in metal containers, somehow survived the crash. While this was a welcome news, it failed to bring her any relief.

The crash site was impossible to miss.

The burned remains of the Humpback were sandwiched between two houses, one of which got almost entirely crushed under the large airship's weight. The fuselage was broken in half, the tail section having demolished the roof of the other house, and the left wing along with the still smoking engine laid several paces away from the wreckage, half-buried in dirt. The other buildings in the area suffered damage as well, either by gunfire or by flames. Several people, both soldiers and civilians, milled about, clearing out debris and putting out small fires that still raged here and there.

As soon as she arrived, Tanya was rendered speechless by the scene of destruction. Basil, on the other hand...

"No! That's my home!"

With zero warning, the boy broke free from her grasp and bolted towards the ruin squashed under the airship's belly.

At first, Tanya was surprised by his strength... but in the next moment, the gravity of the situation dawned on her. He could happen upon mangled corpses, which would scar him for life... or the unstable ruins could collapse on top of him.

"Don't go in there!" Nicolaus barked out, sensing the danger.

"Basil, wait!"

Her cry went completely ignored. Basil as if were blind to everything else.

"MOMMY!"

Only then she understood what it was all about.

"Nick, try and look for any survivors; I'm going after him!" She hissed at Nick with ferocity.

"There's no way anyone could survive that-" The fox Faunus objected but she would have none of it.

"They could be hiding in a cellar, for all we know! _Use your Semblance, damnit!_ "

Not waiting for a response, Tanya took off after Basil, leaving stunned Nicolaus behind.

The boy was far ahead of her and now he was tossing rubble away with his bare hands, trying to get into the part of the house that still remained standing. The wrecked Humpback loomed right above him, casting a dark ominous shadow over the place where he dug desperately.

It made for a truly terrifying sight for all onlookers. Whatever remained of the house after the shot down airship plowed through it was already unstable. The wreck was leaning precariously against its side; if it came loose... Tanya didn't dare finish the thought but was determined to keep that from happening.

As fast as her legs could carry her, she rushed towards the unsuspecting boy who seemed blind to everything around him, focused only on clawing his way through the rubble. She was pushing her limits; the wounds from the shrapnel were sending jolts of pain throughout her body... but that was the very last thing on her mind.

Especially when a low, menacing creak cut through the air.

The smoking wreck of the Humpback _moved._

Tanya felt the blood in her vein go freezing cold when she saw the wreck suddenly lurch forward, its tail breaking off. Only a dozen or so paces away from her goal when her living nightmare turned reality.

Its deformed nose dipped, accompanied by a terrible shriek of straining metal grinding against brickwork.

Basil whirled towards the source of the racket. Stricken with terror, he didn't move; just watching as the enormous hulk of battered steel came right down on him.

Only about a dozen feet separated the Faunus boy from seemingly inevitable death... and the gap was rapidly closing.

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl... every second was now an eternity.

Tanya outstretched her hand.

Her fingertips grazed the back of Basil's shirt... before getting purchase on the rough fabric and clenching.

She dug her heels in the rubble, skidding to a halt.

The wreck was descending rapidly upon them.

She yanked back sharply, eliciting a surprised yelp from Basil as he found himself pulled forcefully backwards. Then she used her Semblance to move both of them away from their death, pullind Basil into her arms.

The nose of the ruined aircraft dug deep into the rubble, right in the place they were moments ago.

Tanya landed painfully on her back. Sharp pieces of rubble dug into her body; she only barely bit back a scream.

The Humpback hadn't ceased moving. It slid sideways off the ruined house upon which it rested moments ago, stirring up dust and further tearing walls down.

The onlookers were in uproar. Tanya couldn't hear anything over the deafening noise the wreck made during its descent but she could distinctly hear someone calling her name...

Suddenly, a dull thud sounded right ahead of them.

While Basil flailed around, coughing profusely, Tanya sat up, doing her best to ignore the cries of her aching muscles. She looked in front of me... and instantly regretted it.

It was a body of one of the Atlesian crewmen, almost completely caked in blood. It fell out of Humpback's cockpit through shattered windows when it tilted down.

Legs bent at unnatural angles, right hand missing... along with most of his face. Only recognizable features were a mangled lower jaw and a left eye that stared emptily into space from its shattered eyesocket.

At first, Tanya could only stare in shock at the mutilated remains of a human being. Then, in a moment of clarity, she put her hand over Basil's eyes. The boy started struggling against her but she wouldn't let go.

"Don't look, Basil," She whispered, her voice trembling. "Don't look... just don't..."

Several pairs of hands lifted them both off the ground.

Words were whispered, of both admiration and complete astonishment at the courageous, and admittedly crazy action, though Tanya didn't care for any of that. "Put that body away," Even as onlookers pulled her on her feet, she wouldn't stop covering Basil's eyes. "He doesn't need to see that."

A couple soldiers picked up the corpse and carried it away, grimacing at the gruesome sight. Only when it was out of sight, Tanya finally released Basil from her embrace. Traumatized by the day filled with disasters and sorrow, the boy collapsed on the ground and started crying.

She couldn't bear looking at him; seeing Basil like this hurt her more than she could imagine. After this day turned out a complete _clusterfuck_ filled with ruin and misery, she thought at least someone could get some semblance of a happy ending. But Basil... he lost his home and most likely lost his mother, too. The victory over Red Talon seemed bittersweet before... now it was just plain bitter.

It felt like fall of Vale City all over again... The world still wasn't done beating them down and she was so _fucking_ sick and tired of it. When would this finally end?

" _We have a survivor down here!"_

Nicolaus' voice cutting through the air seemed to instill some hope into her. _Could this be..._

Some soldier in a militia garb was tending to Basil, doing his best to calm down the crying boy. She would check on him later... better yet, if she actually had some good damned news to deliver.

Nicolaus stood on the large pile of debris from collapsed floors and torn down walls. He seemed to be looking straight down. Only Tanya knew he was using his Semblance.

"Right here!" He shouted pointing at the space right below him. "I see someone below; in the cellar! We need to clear the rubble!"

People instantly began crowding around him; soldiers, civilians, men, women, everyone who could stand on their feet. Bearing pickaxes, shovels, hoes, spades, they all started digging in the pile of debris in the effort to reach the unfortunate soul trapped below. Those without any tools toiled with their bare hands. Despite the growing fatigue, Tanya joined them.

Even Basil aided in their effort. This was too personal for him... He kept at it until his hands began bleeding and wouldn't stop until someone had to carry him away to get his hands treated. Tanya had to force herself not to listen as Basil thrashed around and screamed at his 'kidnapper' to let him go. She hoped that the person trapped underneath the ruined house really was his mother... and that she would stay alive long enough for them to dig their way to her. For Basil's sake...

The rescue operation was dragging on for hours. They managed to remove most of the rubble and reach the cellar's concrete ceiling during the first hour but all their progress only seemed to bring complications. There was no way to break through the concrete without a drilling equipment and obtaining it would take time, the one thing they lacked.

A couple of soldiers offered to go and find a drill but waiting until they came back was out of the question.

And so the rescuers had to split up; part of them continued clearing away debris attempting to locate the entrance to the cellar. The rest, armed with shovels and pickaxes, tried a different route; digging in the ground and reaching the cellar from the side, where there would hopefully be no obstacles. This meant, however, that the entire process slowed down considerably. Every delay would worsen the odds for whoever was trapped down there.

An hour passed. Then another... and they still haven't reached their goal.

Every now and then, soft knocking sounds were heard from below which encouraged the rescuers to work harder than possible. Despite that, they didn't seem to be getting any closer. True, they managed to find the staircase leading to the cellar; unfortunately, it was completely filled with rubble and removing it would take more precious time.

By that time, the sun was already descending to the horizon.

It's been nearly three hours since Nicolaus found the survivor. They barely made it past half the stairway and the diggers still haven't reached the cellar's side. Tanya had to take a break for a while; her muscles were screaming in protest and her clothes seemed completely drenched with sweat. And Nicolaus wasn't faring much better. She wondered briefly what the other half of her team was doing. Somehow she doubted they were enjoying the fruits of their victory...

Suddenly a loud clank came from the dug up trench.

"Wall!"

"Get the hammers!"

She leapt to her feet with newfound strength, just in time to see a couple of brawny guys carrying large hammers jump into the trench.

The wall buried in the ground was the only thing left standing between the trapped survivor and their freedom. It didn't resist too long against the unceasing barrage of heavy blows; after about ten minutes of intensive hammering it finally gave away.

Very soon, the rescuers were carrying a bloodied, half-conscious woman out of the seemingly impenetrable tomb, screaming for a medic. With an ear-splitting shriek, Basil raced forward; in the next moment, he was hanging onto the wounded woman like a drowning man to a lifeline.

 _At least someone got their happy ending,_ Tanya thought to herself as she sat on the piled up soil beside the trench, watching Basil clinging to his mother even as the diggers tried to chase him off. She almost failed to notice someone sitting down next to her.

"I talked with the guys that got her out," Nicolaus spoke. "They said she got a lot of bruises, possibly a broken rib or two... but she'll live."

"That's... really good." She replied with a tired smile. Basil may have lost his home but at least he wouldn't be left alone in this city.

"You know, I still can't believe I didn't think of using my damn Semblance... Makes me think how many survivors we've missed." The fox Faunus chuckled humorlessly. "It means I've got my work cut out for me."

"Then I guess you're gonna need some help?"

"Nah, we can take this from here; you've done enough." Much to her surprise, Nicolaus put his arm around her shoulders. "Just try not to give me a heart attack again." He never was one for physical contact and this seemed somewhat 'out of character' of him. His voice became unusually solemn. "When you bolted to save that Basil kid from his own stupidity... I really thought I was about to see you die. I saw too many people I cared about fade away before my eyes. It's not the kind of experience I want to revisit."

"Nick... You know I can't make a promise like that. We're hunters in training; we can die anytime." Tanya replied quietly. She was honestly moved by his confession, especially given he was usually quite withdrawn, never openly showing his feelings. It meant a lot to her, to know he truly meant something to him.

"Don't I know that..." Nicolaus snorted. "Still, I'd like to survive long enough to enjoy some peace and quiet... and if that happens, I'd like to have my friends with me."

"Yeah, me too." She chuckled. "I make no promises but I'll try to survive until the _better tomorrow_... whatever that is."

"I guess I'll have to make do with that, Tan." Nicolaus yawned. The day filled with fighting and hard labor was taking its toll. "It's gonna take some time before we can leave for Mistral... We better enjoy our rest in the meantime. I get a feeling we're going to need it."

* * *

Author's note: _So here goes the monthly update, just as I said it would. Since I'll be going to work this September, I figured I might try and do as much stuff as I can while I still have more free time.  
_

 _To_ Nerd315: _I think it pretty debatable who really got it worst during fall of Vale City... The least fortunate ones are dead. Sad but true. While I agree that Nebula had it pretty rough after everything went to shit thanks to Cinder and co., she didn't have to live through torture and humiliation like her teammates. Or Blake... you all know what the Fang/Talon planned on doing to her. But there's no sense in arguing about who had it worst. It's subjective matter, I think. I'll just say everyone had their share of misery and leave it at that._

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)________


	8. A1 C7) Two steps back

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 7 – Two steps back

Quiet had finally settled in Kuo Kuana after hours of ceaseless fighting and killing. The battle was over and the coup was thwarted once and for all. Though it was up to the victors to pick up the pieces.

It was late afternoon and the isle of Menagerie was bathed in the sun's bright pale yellow glow. Kuo Kuana was still recovering from Red Talon's quick, brutal onslaught. Though the battle ended hours ago, the chaos caused by Talon's violent incursion was only now starting to settle.

While large part of the city was spared of any destruction, places where the invaders stormed through suffered heavy damage. The port district took the worst of it; many a building was blown to pieces and the streets and alleys were littered with debris of various kinds. And that wasn't all, not by far...

Material damage, no matter how bad, could be repaired given enough time. Alas, lost people couldn't ever be brought back. The coroners hadn't finished counting bodies yet but it was becoming clear that loss of life would exceed _thousand souls._ Most of it were soldiers, defenders and invaders; worse, there was _at least_ a hundred civilians who didn't survive the Talon's rampage.

Men, women... even children. And they would never be vindicated.

A large number of Talon troopers either was captured or gave themselves up once things started going south. While they had their share of guilt, they were only grunts following orders. Those responsible for all the death and destruction – the leader of the attack, his subordinate officers and their protectors – they didn't survive to face justice. Some of them were killed at some point during the battle... but most of them chose death by their own hand, their twisted fanaticism not allowing them to surrender.

Even in their last moments they showed zero remorse over their actions.

Since someone had to pay for the atrocities, all the blame was shifted onto the surviving soldiers, much to their horror. All their previous rage, courage and implacable hate was gone; what was previously a unit of disciplined, merciless troopers, had become a bunch of frightened youngsters afraid for their lives.

After the battle, captive Talon troopers were marched out to the fields beyond Kuo Kuana's outskirts. Their first task was to bury all the dead, at the point of militiamen's guns and blades; defenders of the city, civilians... even their comrades, the ordinary grunts, that is. Officers and the red masked commandos, or what was left of them, were fed to whatever wildlife dwelled in the waters surrounding Menagerie.

Whether this was simply a measure to spare the manpower needed to restore order and repair the damages, or a morbid lesson, to give them a taste of the misery they caused, the captives didn't know. Most of all, they were afraid of what would come afterwards, knowing they were solely at the mercy of Chieftain Belladonna.

Fortunately for them, the Chieftain had other things on his mind... not that they would know.

As a person who practically ran Menagerie, Ghira Belladonna was always a busy man and now, after such a hectic day when there were dozens of matters requiring his attention, he could hardly keep up.

Repairing the damage, clearing out the rubble, accomodating the people who lost their homes, getting more doctors to take care of the wounded, deciding what to do with the prisoners, you name it. Ghira didn't cope well with such pressure. Going from one task to another without a minute to sit down and rest was exhausting. Worst of it was knowing that his duties wouldn't even allow him to visit his daughter. Blake was still asleep; the doctors told him she'd make full recovery from whatever torture those _mangy Talon dogs_ put her through. While this news warmed his aging heart he'd prefer to see for himself... which wouldn't happen now when there were so many responsibilities weighing down on him.

If it weren't for the help and support of his precious, beautiful wife Kali, he'd go crazy inside an hour. Always dropping ideas he would never think of, offering words of encouragement, bringing refreshments since he would forget to eat or drink. Not to mention how she dutifully cleaned up their manor, thoroughly trashed by during the siege by Talon troopers, no matter how many times he had to tell her it was pointless...

Only in the evening did things start to settle down a bit. Those who lost their homes finally had someplace to sleep, all wounded were accounted and cared for, all dead buried and all prisoners under lock and key. Repairing the damage would take a lot more time but that was to be expected.

Beside the more immediate concerns, there were few other matters to resolve. First off, how Talon could muster up such large attack force and move it to the island _without raising any alarms._ Ghira suspected the only way they could pull this off was if someone on Menagerie helped them. A truly disconcerting thought since it would prove Talon's radicalism hadn't been rooted out yet.

Collaborants might've even been among his closest subordinates...

The other issue, while not really dangerous at the first glance, could have possibly unpleasant implications. The sudden and _very convenient_ appearance of the students of the Beacon Academy during the attack.

While Ghira was grateful for their timely and valuable assistance he couldn't shake off the feeling there was something other than altruistic motives at play here. Old Ozpin rarely concerned himself with what happened beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Vale, much less in the 'boonies' such as Menagerie... Furthermore, even though Menagerie didn't have access to CCT, it did receive news from the rest of the world every now and then. Ghira learned of some unsettling developments in Vale lately though the reports were rather sketchy.

He intended to find out what was going on... and believed an opportunity would present itself very soon.

* * *

This day should've been a success. Chieftain Belladonna and his family, including Blake, survived, Red Talon had been rooted out, their attempted coup thwarted... yet by some strange twist of events, team TNDR was left in a very unenviable situation.

When their airship got shot down, most of their possessions didn't survive the crash. The militia was able to recover some containers with ammunition and Dust but the rest was reduced to ashes. All the Beacon students had was clothes on their back and whatever equipment they had on their person, including Scrolls and a small amount of cash... not even remotely enough to help them survive until Mistral.

To summarize it, they had no clothes, no food, no place to stay overnight... and worse, no means of getting to Mistral. It gave their victory a pretty bitter flavor.

Lady Luck didn't completely turn their back to them, though. Thanks to Kali Belladonna's hospitality, they were spared the inconvenience of having to sleep in the streets like beggars. The main problem, finding a way off this island, still remained but in their situation, they had to be grateful even for the smallest comforts.

Which is why they accepted Mrs. Belladonna's offer without much hesitation. Warm food, cold shower, a roof over their heads; that was something they all needed after a day filled with fighting and heavy labor.

It was well past six p.m. when Kali invited the hunters in training to the manor. The residence still bore some scars after the battle, even though much of the mess had been cleaned up already. Wrecked furniture, porcelain and glassware, scorches and bullet holes here and there; foyer suffered most of the damage as that was the place where Talon thugs broke into the manor before the defenders stopped them.

Another reminder of how close they were to a disaster...

Kali sat them all in the living room and was off to the kitchen the next moment to bring them something to eat.

At first, the four of them sat in awkward silence disturbed only by soft clicking as Tanya was removing the large braces on her legs. She didn't think she'd need them for the remainder of the day.

After a few minutes, Roland cleared his throat. "So... hell of a day, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, emphasis on the _hell._ " Tanya quipped, despite herself.

"Probably the hairiest fight since Vale City," Nicolaus admitted. "We should count our blessings that we managed to live through that."

"Well, at least we stopped Talon; that's gotta account for something, right?" Emery pointed out.

"Yeah, though how they got here in the first place is another matter entirely." Roland frowned. He was the first to propose that Talon had spies on the island before the invasion and nothing changed his mind so far.

"We can leave it to the Chieftain to investigate," Tanya said. "Right now we should worry more about ourselves. You know our bird got shot down."

"Don't we all," The rifleman grunted. The only thing worse than that was the horrible fate of its crew. "Fucking Talon..."

"We lost damn near everything; our food, our clothes, our ride to Mistral..." She continued. "Unless someone somehow offers us help, we're dead in the water here."

"We could always try and catch a ship out of here, right?" Emery suggested, growing somewhat bashful when everyone gave him strange looks. "What?"

"We don't even know how often ships sail between Menagerie and Mistral." Nicolaus explained. "Could be days or even weeks before one shows up here and we don't have that much time."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Roland questioned.

"We'll have to wing it, I guess." Tanya shrugged. "I mean, we could try and ask the Chieftain for help but he's got enough on his plate already so we might have no choice but to come up with our own plan."

Nicolaus leaned back, trying to get more comfortable in his chair. "Plenty of time for that later; right now I'd prefer to enjoy a good rest, for once. I'm tired as all hell."

His teammates gave nods of agreement.

"No kidding... Never though cleaning up rubble could be so tiring." Emery complained. "Not to mention all those weird looks everyone was giving me."

"To be fair, people did see you survive a wound that would be fatal for the most of us." Tanya pointed out with a weary smirk. "And you're crazy freaking strong, too." His superhuman strength alone gained him a lot of attention among the locals; they saw him lift a load twice as heavy as himself without breaking a sweat. And his ultra-fast regeneration ability? The main reason why they perceived him as some sort of demi-god, much to his chagrin.

"I really don't need to hear this, Skipper." Emery groaned. Attention was something he didn't cope well with.

"Yeah, some goddamned rest is something we all could use." Roland added. "Not to mention a bath... or a change of clothes." The gunman frowned when he viewed his clothes, stained with dust and dirt after a day worth of hard work.

"People of Menagerie can't afford the luxury of giving stuff away for free," Nicolaus remarked. "Not even for people that helped save the day."

"We don't have enough money to buy us new clothes around here." Though she wouldn't say it out loud, Tanya was also worried that local traders would try to rip them off simply because they were a bunch of humans smack in the middle of the city full of Faunus. It wasn't like she was being racist... but the old resentments didn't die easily and given the previous history, many Faunus would jump at the chance to pick a bone with humans. _Case in point: White Fang-slash-Red Talon._

"We could try and sell of some of our Dust, though. We could use the money."

"Oh slow down there, Skipper!" Roland was quick to object. "I need red Dust for my gun, remember?"

"I know but we might not have a choice." Tanya argued.

"And I know you'd put the green Dust to good use, given your Semblance!"

Their conversation was brought to a halt when Kali entered the living room again, carrying a large wooden tray with four plates on it. An overwhelming aroma of freshly made food hit their nostrils, instantly reminding them they hadn't eaten anything since morning. Nicolaus could feel his mouth water, quite literally.

Mrs. Belladonna set the plates on the table in front of the tired, starved hunters in training. "This is the quickest meal I can cook up; ever since Talon got pushed off this island, it's been nothing but work." She rambled, completely missing the way their eyes widened at the sight of the dish. "Apologies in advance if you find something out of order with-" The Chieftain's wife paused abruptly. "Oh dear, I forgot the drinks; be right back!" She darted back to the kitchen at a comically fast pace.

The students offered no answer, staring at their meals as if entranced.

It was a mix of rice, fried meat and vegetables with some kind of yellowish seasoning. Very different from what they had back home, Tanya observed. She wasn't about to start being picky now, though. Her stomach was already doing backflips inside her, ready to devour everything on the plate to the very last crumb.

She almost laughed as the almost worshipful glint in Nicolaus' eyes or the way his tail wagged slightly.

"So, fellas... Enjoy your meal."

The four of them dug in almost in unison.

Tanya was the first to take a slow, almost careful bite... and then started wolfing it down almost as if afraid it might run away from the plate. And her teammates soon followed her example.

Whatever this dish was, it was spicy and kind of sweet at the same time. An uncommon combination... but it was _so good._ Devouring it at such frantic pace was a bad move especially after going a whole day without a single bite to eat. Tanya was sure she was going to be really sick later but at the moment she just didn't give a damn. And neither did her teammates.

Mrs. Belladonna came back soon, carrying a tray with four glasses of a light green liquid... and nearly dropped the tray in shock when she saw them quite literally stuffing their faces as if on an eating contest.

"Goodness gracious, slow down! You'll upset your stomach!" She admonished, almost like a mother talking to her children.

Roland tried to say "Sorry" but with his mouth full it came out as some garbled unintelligible noise.

Unlike the gunman, Tanya paused long enough to swallow before speaking. "Sorry but this is literally the first food we'd had since landing here... and that was near _ten hours ago._ "

"Yeah, food is the last thing on your mind when everyone's trying their damnedest to kill you." Nicolaus added.

Kali winced, offering a look of sympathy as set the drinks down. "I understand, those Talon dogs didn't give anyone pause." And she most likely didn't see first-hand what those bastards did in the city, not that being in the very real danger of getting slaughtered along with the rest of her family was something to scoff at.

"I should probably go check on my daughter, just to make sure nothing's wrong." Mrs. Belladonna spoke more to herself, completely forgetting there were other people in the room, and her remark didn't escape their ears.

"Is Blake gonna be alright?" Roland asked and Tanya almost wanted to slap him right there. This was like rubbing salt into an open wound.

Yet Kali took the question surprisingly well. "Every doctor around told us she'd recover. I'm more worried about her psyche, though; whatever Talon did to her scarred her more than just physically."

"We'll make them pay, don't worry."

The woman only shook her head at the gunman's reply. "Maybe you will, but in turn they'll take it out on someone else. It's the obsession with vengeance that cast us all into this vicious circle of violence."

While Roland struggled and ultimately failed to come up with an answer, Tanya carefully viewed Kali. She was starting to think the woman was more than just a simple dutiful housewife.

"Before I forget," Mrs. Belladonna suddenly exclaimed, abandoning the uncomfortable topic. "My husband mentioned that he planned to talk to you later on. I don't know what about but he made it sound important."

"Uh, did we do something wrong?" Emery spoke, somewhat nervous. No one blamed him; Ghira Belladonna was a truly intimidating figure and God help you if you ever angered him.

"Really?" Kali laughed incredulously. "Fighting off the invaders, saving the city... and my child, I can't imagine anything of that could be classified as 'wrong.' If anything, you'll be the talk of this city for a while. No, Ghira's more worried about Talon now... and I'd wager he'd like to know how you four fit into the grand scheme of things."

"I suppose that makes sense; a bunch of humans in a Faunus territory might raise some questions." Tanya nodded. "We'll talk to him as soon as we-"

"Not in this sorry state, you won't!" Kali interrupted, pointing out the pitiful state of their clothes. "If you intend to speak to the Chieftain you need to look the part. The least you could do is change into something clean."

"You see, this might be a problem for us." Nicolaus spoke up. "Most of our stuff was on the airship that flew us here... and Talon shot it down during the attack. Almost everything we had with us is reduced to ashes now; all we have left is ammo and some Dust."

"Yep, you could say that we're a regular bunch of bums now." Tanya joked, despite their current situation being nothing to laugh at.

Kali shook her head in disbelief. "You lot sure are down on your luck, aren't you?"

"Hey, we got through this whole battle alive and in one piece; that's plenty luck!" Emery pointed out... omitting the fact that he'd be dead at one point if it weren't for his miraculous regeneration ability.

"Yet at the end of the day, you have nothing except your guns and the clothes on your back." Mrs. Belladonna chuckled softly. "Well, I think I should have some clean clothes somewhere around here that you could borrow- And no arguing, I won't have any of that!" Tanya instantly closed her mouth; she didn't get what gave away her intention to object. "I won't have you attending the audience with the Chieftain looking like a 'bunch of bums' as the young lady put it."

The fencer surrendered, seeing there was no talking her out of this. "Okay... thanks."

"But first, finish your meals, preferably before they go cold. I'll be right back." Once again, Kali was out of the room before anyone could say a word.

"You know, Tan," Roland spoke up. "It didn't occur to me to ask until now but... is there a reason why you have your jacket buttoned all the way up? 'Cause you don't usually do that."

And that particular question instantly brought her back to her encounter with the huge thug with red mask, something she wanted to purge from her mind. The 'seven minutes in hell...' The admittedly dark joke surprised even herself. "Well... some of my clothes kind of... didn't survive the battle." She answered carefully, hoping her friend would settle for this half-truth. _That reminds me: I should probably buy something to replace that blouse..._

"That bad, huh?"

"Yep... that bad. Now, can we change the topic? Or finish the dinner?"

Roland gave her a strange look but ultimately took the hint. Thankfully; she really didn't want to talk about _that._

In a matter of minutes, the hunters in training finished their meals, leaving four completely spotless plates and empty glasses. Just in time, too, because Mrs. Belladonna entered the room again right as Nicolaus pushed the empty plate away from him.

"I just spoke to Ghira a while ago," She began. "I want to let you know he expects the four of you in his office. The sooner the better; it sounded pretty urgent."

It seemed that for whatever reason, the Chieftain wanted to get this 'meeting' done as soon as possible. Tanya personally couldn't wait to learn what this was about. Did he require some further assistance? Or he purely wanted to make sure her team didn't present a threat?

"So, shall we go right now?" Nicolaus asked.

"Not until you actually look presentable." Mrs. Belladonna replied briskly. "Now come with me, we don't want to keep my husband waiting."

* * *

Mrs. Belladonna seemed to have a really good eye for measurements because the entire process of picking clean clothes for them to change into only took little over ten minutes. The clothes she picked out for them were mostly loose fitting with shorter sleeves and legs, suitable for Menagerie's hot weather. Tanya couldn't speak for her friends in that regard but personally she didn't mind, even if it did seem a bit mismatched. This was just a temporary solution until they could get their own clothes fixed and cleaned. Cleaning was easy enough, though fixing... she didn't know about others but she was _terrible_ at sewing. Maybe she'd find something in the marketplace the next day...

Once she had them all dressed, Kali sent them straight to the Chieftain's office. The boys all wore a brightly colored combination of short pants and loose sleeveless shirts. They seemed alright with the clothes Kali picked for them, even Emery who rivaled her husband in size, though Roland appeared somewhat uneasy about walking around with his cybernetic arm on full display. Kali herself appeared unnerved by the sight... or what the gunman had to go through to get it.

Though when standing next to them, Tanya thought she stuck out like a sore thumb. Unlike them, she was clad in a long short-sleeved _robe_ that reached all the way down to her ankles. Her attitude towards dresses and skirts didn't change in the slightest but she didn't want to offend their gracious host so she put the dress on, no matter how much it went against her nature.

"I'll keep your clothes in the laundry room, along with your other things." Which included weapons and other minor possessions. "Now, you might want to hurry; Ghira has been in a disagreeable mood after everything that happened today." Mrs. Belladonna remarked as she sent them on their way.

"Should we be worried?" Roland questioned.

"Show respect and good manners and you'll do just fine. Now go!"

The Chieftain's office was in the manor's upper floor which survived the attack virtually untouched. Compared to other rooms in the residence, it was rather sparsely furnished, with only a large table, a small couch, a couple chairs and a couple cupboards. Every piece in the room was purpose-oriented, no embellishments at all. Though the view from the office was rather impressive...

As for Ghira himself, he sat behind the table, going through a multitude of documents. Unlike the first time they met him, he wore a thick black coat with a silver chain draped around the collar. He wasn't alone, too. There was Ilia Amitola sitting on a couch with a canine Faunus clad in grey-and-white garb they didn't recognize.

The Chieftain lifted his head when he heard the door open. His impassive expression remained unchanged when he saw Beacon students entering the office. "There you are. I was starting to wonder whether you got lost around the house."

"Apologies but we had to, um, make ourselves presentable." Nicolaus explained. "Mrs. Belladonna insisted."

"Of course she did." Ghira made a sound between a huff and a chuckle. "You do realize these are mostly _woman's_ clothes, right?"

Tanya did her damnedest not to burst out laughing at the boys' mortified expressions though she suspected the Chieftain's comment applied only to Nicolaus and Roland. It was the only logical conclusion. There were two women and one ( _huge-ass_ ) man in the Belladonna family, as far as she knew, and Emery was the only one who could wear the Chieftain's clothes, for obvious reasons. Kali probably didn't have anything else that would fit the other two and since they didn't realize they wore woman's clothes until Ghira told them, it wasn't that much of a problem. Though if Kali did this on _purpose..._ it only confirmed what Tanya had already deduced; _watch out for that woman._

Ghira appeared emotionless though judging by the way the corners of his mouth twitched, he must've found the situation amusing. "Settle down, you two. It's not like we planned to parade you around the city dressed like that." He gestured to the three empty chairs at the opposite side of the table. "Now sit down, would you?"

Though he sounded courteous, there was no space for argument there.

While his teammates took their places at the table, Nicolaus sat down on the couch with its occupants' silent permission.

"Now that we're all here, I suppose I should start with an customary question;" The Chieftain began. "Do you know why I summoned you here?"

If there was any point to this question, Tanya didn't see it. However, she knew damn well that when a figure of authority asks her something, especially when it was someone who could break her in half with ease, she'd better give an answer.

"Because we're an unknown element around here?" She offered.

"You have questions about our mission?" Nicolaus suggested.

"You want to make sure we're not a threat." Roland said flatly.

"Need our help again?" Emery shrugged.

" _Help?_ " Ghira scoffed. "From what I've heard, it's you four who needs help. Yes, I know your airship got shot down and you lost most of your possessions. One might think you're just a couple of beggars with fancy weapons."

"I see word gets around fast here." Roland deadpanned. His remark went completely ignored by the Chieftan.

"But nevermind your current situation; what I want right now is answers."

"To what questions?" Tanya asked. Admittedly, this conversation was starting to make her feel uneasy.

"It's not every day a bunch of humans turns up in Menagerie, of all places." Ghira spoke. "The 'safe haven' for Faunus-kind which, ironically enough, was once supposed to be their _prison..._ I'm sure you know your history." Of course, the reference to humankind's attempt to segregate Faunus; they'd never let them forget that one, it seemed. "Much less when said haven is being attacked by a bunch of frenzied radicals; I'd say that's beyond coincidence."

Tanya suppressed an annoyed sigh. "With all due respect, Chieftain, we've been over this already." She replied in a controlled voice. "Acting headmistress Goodwitch sent us here on a mission to warn you about a coup attempt by Red Talon, or to stop it on case they already launched an assault by the time we got here."

"Why?" Ghira asked plainly. "Old Ozpin didn't seem to care a whit what was going on around here. Menagerie was never a priority... _to anyone,_ I might add. Why the sudden change of attitude?"

It was at that moment Roland decided to join the conversation, in his usual blunt manner. "You really think Beacon's authorities would send us here just for shits and giggles?" Tanya felt like slapping him but didn't want to cause a scene. Ilia and the gentleman whose identity remained unknown watched the scene wordlessly... though Ilia's eyes seemed to linger on the rifleman's cybernetic arm longer than what was considered appropriate.

Ghira narrowed his eyes. "I have implied nothing of the sorts."

"Then do you even know what's been happening around Beacon lately? In Vale City?"

"You seem to forget that Menagerie isn't connected to CCT; news from the rest of the world take some time to reach us." The Chieftain huffed. "Though we did receive reports about some kind of... _unrest_ in Vale."

The gunman stared at him with incredulous look in his eyes. " _Unrest?_ I don't know who's been giving you information but _unrest_ is putting it mildly."

"Then why don't you enlighten me since you brought this up?"

Roland glanced at the team leader; rolling her eyes, Tanya gave him a go-ahead gesture.

"Well, long story short, Vale City is literally a huge ghost town right now."

That seemed to get a reaction out of everyone present. Ghira stiffened in his seat while the other guests suddenly grew more interested in the conversation. "What do you mean by that?" The Chieftain demanded.

"Exactly what I said." Roland answered briskly. "About six months ago, after a few minor skirmishes, Vale's White Fang launched a major offensive against Vale City and Beacon. They blew multiple holes into the bulwark around the city and released Grimm inside. It was easy since tensions among citizens were running high after the latest string of terror attacks." The truth was more complicated than that but he'd get there in time. "It was devastating; Grimm outnumbered Hunters, Atlesian troops and Vale's troops at least five-to-one. We had no choice but to evacuate the city."

Out of the corner of her eye, Tanya saw Ilia stare with her mouth agape and the other guest scowling fiercely. As for the Chieftain, he stared at his clenched fists with a mix of shock, disbelief and anger, his posture completely rigid.

"I heard rumors about some 'major victory' in Vale but I thought it was just propaganda!" Ilia exclaimed. "I never knew it was _that bad._ "

"How did they even accomplish this?" Ghira whispered.

"Deception, sabotage and a big fucking army." Roland explained. "They were getting help from a 'benefactor,' though she had goals other than 'sticking it to humans.' Ironic, 'cause the helpers were humans, themselves."

"That's true." Nicolaus chimed in. "Fang's new allies executed various actions to soften Vale up for the incoming invasion; stealing Dust supplies, instilling anxiety into Vale' citizens, infiltration and espionage, uploading a virus into Beacon's computer network, attempted sabotage of the Vytal Tournament and even a terror attack on Festival fairgrounds."

"You forgot to mention an attack on Beacon students." Tanya pointed out. "You see, us and one other team were onto them, actively countering their operations, so they decided to get rid of us; Fang and their human 'friends.'"

"Where else do you think I got _this?_ " Roland chuckled humorlessly, raising his cybernetic arm.

"As for the attack itself, Fang used the Dust they stole to blow up the bulwark." Nicolaus continued. "Vale's troops were quickly overwhelmed by Grimm. Atlesian fleets was present but the Fang accounted for that, too. One of its allies, Roman Torchwick, infitrated one of Atlesian cruisers and uploaded the aforementioned virus into its system, which basically made Atlesian robots attack both soldiers and civilians."

"Gods..." Ilia breathed out.

"As for Hunters, Fang diverted its attention by attacking Beacon right when it was full of refugees from the city. Our forces were spread too thin; we couldn't effectively defend both the city and the academy. We somehow managed to hold our ground but the city was lost. We saved whomever we could but still thousands of people died during the invasion... including Headmaster Ozpin."

Once Nicolaus finished recounting the events, dead silence reigned in the office. The still unnamed jackal Faunus showed no emotion; a complete opposite of Ilia who looked shell-shocked.

Ghira Belladonna didn't say a word for what felt like minutes, just staring at his hands while multitude of expression crossed his face. Bewilderment, outrage, disgust... and strangely enough, shame.

 _For what, though?_

When he finally spoke, he sounded incredibly weary. "Not even in my wildest dream did I think it would come to _this..._ " The Chieftain sighed deeply. "I should've seen it coming, should've tried to stop it... But I didn't. And now any hopes of reconciliation between our peoples are void."

The Beacon students were thoroughly confused by the Chieftain's monologue. "What are you talking about?" Tanya asked.

"I shouldn't be surprised you don't know." Ghira looked up. "I used to lead White Fang. I spent so much of my time trying to build bridges, to help move past our people's disagreements and grievances for the better future. But in the end our people chose force over compromise... and I accepted their choice even though I disagreed. And that was a mistake." The Chieftain pointedly ignored the shocked looks from the hunters in training. "Warmongers like Khan, Taurus and many others turned White Fang into _an abomination._ "

"That's an apt description." Nicolaus nodded solemnly. "Even during my brief stay with the Fang, I saw that everything was motivated by revenge on humans. And it only got worse; Vale's branch of White Fang transformed into Red Talon. Their goal is eradication of humankind and all opposing or unaffiliated Faunus, in the name of _strengthening our race._ "

"I'm well aware; after all, we've seen the proof of that today." Ghira huffed.

"They hate everyone and everything, and they'll try and spread their new ideology throughout Remnant, picking up allies and killing off all opposition along the way." Tanya added. "We have it on good authority that Talon will attempt to depose Sienna Khan in Mistral. If they succeed, they'll use it to bolster their ranks and spread their influence. We need to stop it from happening 'cause every victory for Talon is bad news for the rest of the world."

"And you think you can accomplish that alone?" The stranger finally spoke up.

"Well we won't be alone; I can tell you that." Tanya countered. "And I don't think we've been introduced yet-"

"Fennec Albain, emissary of White Fang in Menagerie." The Chieftain cut in. "Or _former_ emissary, I should say."

"And you're sure he can be trusted?" Roland paused when he noticed the strange looks cast his way. "It's a legitimate question!"

"Fennec provided invaluable help in determining how Talon moved so many troops to Kuo Kuana without anyone noticing," Ghira explained. "So yes, I'm sure."

His remark piqued their interest. "So, what happened?" Nicolaus asked the former emissary.

"It turns out Talon indeed had sleeper agents in Menagerie." Albain said dispassionately. "One of them was my brother Corsac; he struck a deal with Talon representative weeks before the invasion. He never told me about it, though; probably because he knew I'd disagree. When Hilen and his 'entourage' turned up at our base they gave us a choice; either accept their leadership or be treated as an enemy. Most of our people sided with them, though; either out of sympathy for Talon's extreme views or out of fear of reprisal."

"So most of Talon's troops here came from local White Fang?" Tanya asked, only to receive silent nod from Albain. This explained a lot. Talon didn't need a large invasion force on their own; all they had to do was convince the local Fang branch to join them. No wonder no one noticed anything until it was almost too late.

"What happened to Corsac, anyway?"

"He's dead... I killed him myself after Amitola helped me and few others escape imprisonment." The hard edge in Fennec's voice clearly indicated he wasn't willing to elaborate. To kill his own brother... Tanya wasn't sure whether to admire the man or condemn him.

"There's one more reason why we want to head to Mistral as soon as possible." Nicolaus took the word once again. "You remember the Fang's human 'benefactors' we mentioned? That they had their own agenda?"

"Yes, I do." Ghira rumbled. "Is there _anything else_ I should know?"

"Their leader, a woman named Cinder Fall, is the mastermind behind the destruction of Vale City. She targets authorities of Kingdoms of Remnant, specifically Huntsman Academies though her motivation remains unknown. We have it on good authority that she'll attempt to do the same in Mistral, even use the Talon to accomplish that."

"What happened in Vale was enough of a blow." Tanya supplied. "Now imagine the consequences if the same occurs in Mistral; panic will spread throughout Remnant like a wildfire which in turn will attract more Grimm."

"Such actions will make the governments seem incapable of protecting their citizens and thus undermine their authority." Albain remarked. "I can see the logic behind it."

"This is why we need to head to Mistral as soon as possible; to stop this from happening."

The Chieftain frowned deeply. "As much as I'd like to provide assistance, I have my own problems. I need to take care of my own people's needs first; then... I'll see what I can do. But I can't promise anything; keep that in mind."

Tanya nodded slowly. This wasn't what she needed; sure, Ghira didn't completely reject the notion of helping but her team couldn't afford the luxury of waiting until he came around. "I understand," She said in a carefully managed voice. "If it comes to worst, we can catch a ship to Mistral."

"We can replace the possessions you lost; that shouldn't be much trouble. As for a fast way off this island... I need to make sure Menagerie won't face any threats in the near future and that will take time. Surely you have a couple days to spare before you head out." Ghira continued. And this was exactly the thing she wasn't sure about...

"You know, Skipper, maybe it's better we stay a while until the Chieftain sorts this out." Nicolaus suggested. "A couple days may not make such a difference."

"And if not?"

"Then we'll have to trust the rest of the gang can handle it."

Maybe he did have a point. Team JRRNNY had the Invincible girl and the Silver-eyed warrior on their side; hell, even the company of Qrow Branwen. That had to account for something. Plus it might take a while before any ship turned up here.

Tanya made her decision... and she sure as hell hoped it would be the right one. "Fine... we'll stay a while, then. Maybe we could make ourselves useful in the meantime."

"I don't think that will be necessary but I appreciate the offer, regardless." Ghira nodded. "Now if you excuse us, there are some other things I'd like to discuss with Albain. Kali will show you where to sleep; it would be a poor show of hospitality to let our allies spend the night on the street."

And there was their cue to leave. "Thank you," Tanya replied and stood up, her teammates following suit. Though before leaving the office, she thought of one more thing. "Sir, we weren't allowed to see Blake yet so if you get a chance to speak with her tonight... Tell her that Griffon and her boys say hello."

Ghira made a sound in the back of his throat, resembling a chuckle. "I'll be sure to pass the message along."

 _Wonder how she'll react to that,_ Tanya though as she and her friends left the office.

* * *

Author's note: _I didn't really think I could manage this but here it is: second update of this fic during one month! I realize it's all rather slow paced without much action but exploring characters and their interactions can be really interesting and fun. Plus if I rush this it might turn out terrible and I don't want the effort I put into this go to waste. I'm sure every writer faces such dilemma..._

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_________


	9. A1 C8) A touch of fortune

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 8 – A touch of fortune

The next day didn't seem any different from what the denizens of Menagerie considered 'normal.' The island woke up to a cloudless sky and intense heat which was made only slightly more bearable by the soft breeze from the ocean. Things weren't any different in Kuo Kuana... except adding to the usual daily routine there were reconstruction works after the recent attack, and few guests that were completely out of place in this part of the world.

Three humans led by a Faunus of a rather unimpressive stature, all of which were currently residing in the Belladonna residence with the Chieftain's blessing.

Most interestingly, the visitors were in fact students of Beacon Academy who assisted in suppressing a coup attempt by an extreme-radical offshot of White Fang... though only few chosen people knew the fact. It was a shame that their status of local heroes was of little use to them at the moment.

Even while sitting at the Belladonna manor's dining room with her team nursing a cup of strong black tea, Tanya was racking her brain to find a solution to their current predicament. No supplies, no clothes, no means of transportation, and only little money which she wasn't even sure if it could buy them a passage to Mistral. And that was only a half of the problem; it could be days or even weeks until another passenger ship docked at Kuo Kuana port and despite Nicolaus' assurances, Tanya wasn't sure they had that much time, especially when Cinder, her peons and whoever she worked for were out there possibly making their next move.

Worse, her friends, team JRRNNY, and Qrow were hundreds of leagues away fighting their way through the dangerous jungles of Mistral without fully knowing what they were up against. After everything they went through in the past year, Tanya knew she should trust them to handle themselves out there. As she herself learned the hard way however, all the experience in the world couldn't effectively counter subterfuge, something Cinder excelled at. The witch could've easily pick the moment while they were at their weakest and attack with all her power... and not even the infamous Qrow Branwen might not be able to save them.

And that very thought was tearing her apart...

"Oi, what's with the long face, Tan?"

The very familiar voice to her left interrupted the vicious circle of depressing thoughts running through her mind. Roland was staring at her with a concerned expression.

"I'm fine," Tanya waved her hand dismissively, acting as if nothing was wrong. "Just thinking about stuff."

The rifleman raised an eyebrow. "Must've been some heavy stuff 'cause I swear you could've burned a hole through the table with that glare."

Tanya suppressed a sigh; she didn't realize she made it so obvious that something was bothering her. There was no more need to pretend yet she couldn't help it but play things down just so her teammates would stop worrying. Besides, it was her job as the team leader to make future plans, decide their next steps, watch out for her teammates and pull their boots out of the fire... even if it meant not getting a good night's sleep. "It's nothing, really. Just wondering how exactly we get to Mistral, is all."

"You've got whole day for that; why stress out over it at the breakfast?" Emery cut in.

"Chieftain Belladonna did promise us help," Nicolaus pointed out. "Maybe he'll help us get off this island; we just have to wait for him to settle some matters around the city."

At that moment, Tanya found herself both admiring and envying their optimism.

"You think so?" Personally, she didn't have much confidence in Ghira's rather lukewarm show of support. His own people had to come first, she understood that... yet she kind of hoped an esteemed former leader of late White Fang would see the big picture.

"To be honest, I'm not _that_ sure," The fox Faunus admitted. "But there's no doubt Ghira saw yesterday just what he was dealing with. He'll know that stopping the Talon is in everyone's best interests, including his own."

"And I imagine a father would want revenge on the guys that beat and nearly killed his child." Roland added with a somewhat sinister half-smile. "I know I would."

With his remark, the rifleman unwittingly brought up another _sensitive_ topic. Blake Belladonna, the withdrawn book-loving fellow huntress in training, now revealed to be the daughter of White Fang's former leader. Back at Beacon, she was one of their closest friends... until she vanished without a trace, only two weeks before Grimm and White Fang laid waste to Vale City. Now, no one was sure where things stood, not even Tanya herself.

Beacon Academy had her listed as 'Missing in action;' friends thought her dead or acted as if she were. Yet despite all expectations, Blake turned up here as Red Talon's prisoner; that girl was full of surprises.

"Was there any word from Blake? Anything at all?"

Nicolaus shook his head in response to Tanya's question. "Nothing, as far as I know. Maybe her dad's yet to deliver your message... or she doesn't want to talk, for whatever reason."

"That's too bad." Roland stated with a hard edge to his voice. "Because I have _so many_ questions..." _Don't we all,_ Tanya thought to herself.

"I don't think it's like that." Emery said carefully. "We all heard what she said before she left the hospital, the day the Fang laid an ambush on us. Kept rambling how everything was her fault and all that."

"Honestly, I don't know how she came to _that_ conclusion. She's not keeping us away this time." Tanya said firmly.

"Careful with that sentiment, Skipper." Nicolaus warned. "The Chieftain wouldn't be happy if we broke into her room without his approval."

"I'm not saying we should stoop to breaking-and-entering, but we deserve some answers, don't we?" The fencer argued.

"Perhaps you'll get your chance... if you're willing to wait."

The young hunters in training jumped in their seats, startled by the deep booming male voice suddenly reverberating through the room. Sure enough, Chieftain Belladonna stood in the entrance, regarding them with an unreadable look. It was quite incredible how someone of such size could approach them without making even the slightest of noises. _Perhaps it was just a Faunus thing..._

Nicolaus was the first to recover from the initial shock. "What a surprise, Chieftain; we didn't expect you to come down here." He spoke with only a slight stutter while his friends just nodded awkwardly.

"And what could possibly keep me from doing that?" The Chieftain replied. "This is _my_ house, after all."

"Of course it is. I just didn't think you'd be up for a casual conversation with us." Nicolaus said diplomatically.

"Someone has to make sure our honored guests don't do anything foolish."

"Wouldn't dream of doing that, sir."

 _He handles himself pretty well,_ Tanya thought to herself. Since they came here, Nicolaus played the part of the 'team leader;' a Faunus leading a team of humans would make a better impression on the locals. While far from happy about being roped into this act, Nicolaus accepted the reasoning... and he did seem to really get into the character lately. Speaking with the local authorities, even giving out orders in and out of battle on occasion... With more experience and a little tutoring, he'd make a fine leader. It was a little early to make such judgments, though.

"So, is there something you need from us?"

"I don't really _need_ anything, not now at least." Ghira grunted, leaning his back against a cupboard. "I do have a couple things to say that might interest you."

He wasn't wrong. The way the Beacon students glanced at one another said it all. "What is it, then?" Tanya spoke up, trying not to sound too eager.

"After our meeting yesterday, I've had a long discussion with my colleagues about the recent developments, in Menagerie and beyond. I relayed to them what you told me about the menace of Red Talon, their collaboration with human terrorists and the overall implications of their actions. Needless to say, they didn't like it one bit." The Chieftain spoke in a solemn tone. "We've all agreed that Talon needs to be stopped, sooner rather than later. However, our opinions on achieving that differed significantly."

Tanya turned away so the Chieftain wouldn't see her grimacing. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. "And what does that mean for us?" Roland asked.

Ghira heaved a weary sigh. "The sad truth is that my people aren't in the position to fully join the fight against Talon, not now. The investigation into the information leak still continues; as of now, we can't be absolutely sure there are no Talon spies left on this island. Not to mention our armed forces took quite a hit. It will take time for us to recover from the losses."

"So you won't help us, after all?" Roland asked with his usual bluntness.

Ghira shot him a cross look. "I never said that." He grounded out, carefully enunciating each word. "Though if by 'help' you mean 'the entirety of VAM taking Mistral by storm' then the answer is NO. Our troops are needed here to protect our own people. I won't invite another attack by pulling our soldiers off this island."

"Then what is your idea of 'help,' if you don't mind me asking?" Tanya questioned. Her voice held a bit of a bite, which surprised even herself. Wasn't she supposed to be the level-headed one?

"First of all, I have the means of getting you to Mistral."

This got a reaction from Emery, incredibly enough. "Why haven't you told us before?"

Ghira remained unfazed by Emery's outburst. "We don't possess what you could call a 'navy.' Until recently, all we had were a few outdated patrol vessels, barely enough to secure coastal waters near Kuo Kuana."

"Until recently?" Tanya echoed. "What changed, then?"

"Our investigators have discovered a large gunboat hidden away in a small inlet outside the city; Atlas-made and bearing insignias of the radical White Fang. Our guess is Talon used it to ferry their soldiers in here." Ghira explained. "I've only been told this morning; with some adjustments, it should be capable of making a voyage to Mistral."

"That's nice and all but none of us know a first thing about navigating a ship." Roland pointed out. "We're not sailors!"

"I'm well aware of that." Chieftain Belladonna remarked, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "Which is why you'll be sailing with a fully trained crew."

Finally some good news for once... yet Tanya kept fighting back a smile. She had a feeling there would be a snag of some sorts. Things were never simple for them in the last couple months.

"While we're on the topic of manpower..." Ghira continued. "While we cannot provide you with an army, there are some people who would like to join in on your mission, if you'd have them, of course."

The Beacon students exchanged looks of disbelief. None of them believed Menagerie would offer any substantial assistance... and now the Chieftain was giving them an armed vessel manned by professional seamen. Not only that, but there were people out there actually looking to join in on the action. It almost seemed like a dream...

"And who would be joining us?" Nicolaus asked.

"Fennec Albain and the survivors from the former White Fang embassy; Miss Amitola also intends to accompany you. You'll have over a dozen skilled fighters on board, provided you'll let them join, of course."

Tanya finally allowed herself a smile, one that was mirrored by her teammates and friends. Although the assistance wasn't what she would've preferred, she learned to be grateful for littlest comforts... and this was better than she hoped for after yesterday.

Not everyone seemed to share her opinion, though. Judging by his dubious expression, Roland had his doubts. "So we've got at most twenty people going against the might of the whole Red Talon? Sorry, but that's too damn few."

"I'm sorry; I was under impression that Beacon taught you to accomplish your tasks with little available resources. Or was I wrong?" The Chieftain retorted sardonically.

"Last we've heard, Talon has a strong presence in Mistral; a full on frontal assault against them would be a suicide, with so few people on our side." Nicolaus pointed out.

"Then we _don't_ do a frontal assault." Tanya replied simply.

"That would be the logical conclusion." Ghira chuckled softly before sobering. "In all seriousness, if Talon has as strong a support as you're suggesting, then attacking them head-on is out of the question. If you want to defeat them, you'll most likely have to involve Sienna Khan herself."

The Chieftain made it sound so simple while in reality it would be anything _but_ that. "And how, pray tell, do we accomplish that?" Roland questioned. "First off, there's no way Khan would believe a bunch of humans that turn up at her doorstep and give her a story about someone planning to assassinate her. Besides, she may not be an ultra-extremist but she has more in common with Talon than with us, right? She might be working with them already, for all we know!"

"I consider that possibility highly unlikely." Ghira said in a tone that showed his conviction. "Sienna is a fierce woman, to be sure; yes, she might distrust or even loathe humans, she might prefer coercion to compromise, she might be suspicious towards anyone outside her circle... but I can tell you for certain she is no fool."

Any official information depicted Sienna Khan as a menace doing her damnedest to disturb the fragile peace. If there was any injustice commited against Faunus, she'd respond with force. Knowing all that, Tanya found it hard to believe that someone like Khan wouldn't opt for an all-out war against humanity, like Talon. She was pretty sure her friends felt the same way, no matter what Ghira said.

"With all due respect, how can you be so sure?"

"I knew Sienna personally, before I gave up my leadership of the Fang." The Chieftain continued with a wistful look. "While I never agreed with her 'end justifies the means' philosophy, I think I can quite honestly say that all her deeds were motivated by the desire to improve the life of her people, rather than taking revenge on humankind. Despite her often violent tactics, she's well aware that another war with humankind has nothing to do with Faunus' best interests. That alone would keep her from working with Talon... and I imagine they wouldn't take too kindly to that."

"We did recover some documents during one of our missions against Talon." Nicolaus mused. "I distinctly remember one that mentioned Khan refusing to cooperate with them, for reasons not mentioned."

"And there you have it." Ghira agreed. "If Talon cannot convince her to work with them willingly, then they will attempt to take over the Mistral branch of White Fang... which will ultimately result in her death."

Roland shook his head. "This doesn't resolve our main problem; how do we convince her to believe us?"

"You'll have witnesses of Talon's barbarism with you, remember?" The Chieftain pointed out. "Sienna worked with Albain brothers on many occasions in the past; there's no reason for her not to trust Fennec's word."

Now it was all starting to make sense. There was no need to bring an army to Mistral; if they managed to convince Khan to join forces with them, they'd have an army of their own. Enough to oppose Talon and perhaps even thwart whatever Cinder planned to do in Mistral. Tanya was starting to see why Ghira was the one chosen to lead White Fang.

"If Sienna won't hear you out, she'll have to listen to Fennec. But remember: your success in Mistral depends on gaining her support. And for that, you must protect her from Talon." The Chieftain reminded them. "If Talon takes over in Mistral... we all know the consequences would be disastrous."

They all knew that, of course; hence why Goodwitch sent them on this mission to begin with. "We don't plan on letting Talon win." Nicolaus said firmly. "Not again."

"See to it, then... Because if Talon wins, we all lose." Then in a split second, Ghira's grave tone audibly lightened. "Now onto the less, um, _grave_ matters... I've passed on your message to Blake."

"So you've talked to her?" Tanya asked. "How did she react?" One couldn't blame her for being curious. As months passed since the Festival massacre, the Beacon gang came to terms with the possibility of Blake never coming back. For her to turn up in Menagerie, as a Talon captive at that... None of them saw that coming. And Tanya would wager neither Blake expected to run into her old friends (or acquaintances, one couldn't really be sure now) here, of all places.

"To be honest, even I couldn't tell if her reaction was one of surprise, excitement or terror, and I'm her father, for goodness' sake." Ghira admittted with a solemn chuckle. "I must say that I haven't seen or talked to Blake since the change in Fang's leadership... and that was nigh six years ago."

This revelation came as a surprise. "Really? What happened?" Nicolaus asked.

Ghira wasn't willing to elaborate, though. "I'd rather not get into this right now... Besides, it's mostly Blake's story to tell, if she so chooses. But I digress. What I wanted to say was: If you want to talk to her, try not to be too hard on her. She's been through a lot... certainly more than someone so young should be."

After everything that happened, they couldn't promise such a thing yet they obliged nonetheless; the least they could do for a worried father.

Even though she couldn't speak for her friends, Tanya still felt a bit of resentment towards Blake over her disappearing act. If Blake hadn't had left them all behind that fateful day for whatever reason, she would've never wound up a prisoner and the whipping girl of the Talon. Maybe she would've made a difference in the battle of Vale City, however small. True, it was pointless now to argue what could or couldn't have been, yet the thought of it couldn't be banished so easily. While wanting to avoid making a scene, she was determined to get straight answers to her questions.

Most of all: what was Blake doing all this time? And was it worth throwing away everything she gained during her stay at Beacon Academy?

* * *

A couple hours later a doctor turned up in the room they were staying at. In his professional opinion, Blake was okay enough to receive visitors other than her parents. It was a moment Tanya couldn't wait for but also dreaded somewhat. There was no telling where things stood between Blake and the rest of the gang. The only way of finding out for sure was to talk things over... with potentially disastrous results.

 _No, I'm not backing out of this,_ Tanya steeled herself for the inevitable conversation. She needed to know the full story before making any judgments. Plus, someone had to intervene in case _some people_ allowed their anger to get the better of them.

The doctor led them upstairs and to the door bearing an emblem depicting a black flower; the same symbol Blake had sewn onto her clothes. "Well, here we are." The doctor said. "You can head on inside though I need to remind you Miss Belladonna is still in recovery; please take it into account during your visit."

"Yeah, you got it, doc." Tanya nodded and gestured to her friends. "Well, let's go." _And hope this doesn't end a complete disaster._

When the four of them entered the room, they felt like if they had traveled back in time. The furniture, the wallpaper, the embellishments; it all said a girl was living here, though the colors were far less bright than one would expect; white, black and a bit of purple here and there, giving the place an almost monochromatic look. It seemed no one lived in this room for years, until now.

A bed was placed at the wall on the right... and its occupant stared at the visitors with genuine surprise.

Dressed only in pure white sleeveless nightgown, Blake winced in pain as she dragged herself up in the sitting position. It was clear she had a long way to go until healing up completely. Under the thin fabric, layers of bandages were clearly visible; there were scars running down her arms, a long circular bruise around her neck and both wrists, a large deep cut crossing her face that only recently began healing... All of that a clear evidence of the hell her captors put her through.

Seeing all this up close, all previous anger seemed to dissipate. An awkward silence reigned in the room for the first few moments. Blake stared at the visitors, the visitors stared back at her... and no one knew what to say to initiate the conversation, almost as if afraid that a single word could ruin everything.

Just when the silence began to grow uncomfortable, Blake finally mustered up enough courage to speak.

"Dad mentioned the four of you were here but... I couldn't believe it."

Perhaps it wasn't the best way to start, but it provided something to follow up on.

"Yeah, we didn't expect you to wind up here either..." Tanya scratched the back of her neck as she offered the awkward response. Seeing as her teammates remained silent, sharing uneasy glances, it clearly fell to her to do all the talking.

 _Way to leave me hanging, guys,_ she thought wryly. _Well, here it goes..._

"Blake... Honestly, I'm not sure if I should hug you or slap you." The way Blake hung her head made her feel like the worst person in the world. "But right now I'm just glad to see you alive and... _well enough,_ all things considered."

"I suppose that's one way of putting it." Blake chuckled softly though the mirth quickly vanished from her eyes. "But please... enough with the platitudes. I know what I did, to all of you; if you hate me, just say so. No need to beat around the bush."

Needless to say the sudden drastic change of mood surprised them all. Nevertheless, Tanya intended to stop this before things deteriorated further.

" _Blake, stop._ " The firmness in her tone surprised even herself. "Right now, I'm not even sure where things stand, where _I stand._ So before we all start making judgments I want you to answer one single question: _Why?_ "

"You're not making this any easier for me, Griffon!" Blake muttered with a slight hint of ire. "You wouldn't understand when you haven't lived through what I did."

"Then try us." Roland cut in and raised his cybernetic hand. "Or better yet, look at _this_ and then dare say right in my face that I wouldn't understand."

Any retort she had readied died in her throat. All it took was a single glance at the metal appendage, one that was a part of the rifleman's body, yet looked so unnatural in comparison.

"What? How...?"

"I got lucky... unlike some other people I knew." Roland said somberly, hiding the right arm behind his back. "Now, I believe you owe us some answers."

Blake regarded the visitors with a weary look. "What do you even expect me to say?"

"A truth would be nice." Tanya replied acerbically, taking a slow step forward. "Look, we thought we'd never see you again; hell, some of us even thought you _died..._ I don't know if you even realize it but you hurt a lot of people by disappearing on us. Not to mention we could've used your help when Grimm invaded the city." The look of shame told volumes about Blake's feeling. "Bottom line: you have a lot to explain so you get to it or... I'm sorry to say it but otherwise _we're through_."

"You don't need to blackmail me, Griffon." Blake scoffed. Her aloof demeanor which she often demonstrated back in Beacon failed to mask the hurt in her voice, however. "There's a good chance that after hearing my side of the story you'll never want to see me again, anyway."

The bitterness and the self-depreciation in her voice surprised everyone present. It seemed the months away from Beacon changed her... and not for the better. "Why is that?" Tanya questioned.

"Because it was all my fault." Blake turned away from the visitors, as if she didn't want them to look at her. "I left White Fang because I didn't agree with their violent ways; kidnapping, vandalism, arson, murders... Worse, our targets were often people that never did anything to us to begin with. And when I had to watch some of my closest friends develop a... _thirst for blood_ , when violence became an end instead of a means... I just couldn't bear it anymore, especially when I used to be a part of all that myself. When I applied for Beacon I thought I could use my skills to actually do some good, that- That I could finally leave my days of being a tool of revenge behind. I never thought my past would end up following me, not until the Fang and I began crossing paths again."

"The heist in the docks, the highway chase, the First breach..." Nicolaus frowned. "You don't think they really stalked you, right?"

"Maybe not at first, but after I- after _we_ began disrupting their ops I'm sure they must've taken notice. I should've known they'd eventually target us, specifically... yet I was so focused on stopping them that I ignored all the dangers-"

"Even if we ignored the Fang, we'd end up fighting them eventually anyway, like back at the Faunus rights rally." Roland pointed out. "I don't see what's that got to do with-"

"It has _everything_ to do with it!" Blake snapped. "Like White Fang was obsessed with trampling anyone that _could get_ in their way, I was obsessed with stopping them... and look where it got me- Where it got _all of us!_ I nearly got all of you killed because I didn't know when to stop!" She broke off, breathing heavily as she tried to get her fraying emotions under control. "I left Beacon because I knew what happened at the factory that day was my fault. I didn't want you to get hurt again because of me."

Heavy silence fell in the room after Blake's confession. The tension grew almost unbearable; as the Beacon students exchanged strangely unreadable glances, Blake looked like she was about to have a panic attack.

When the silence had finally been broken, it was unlike anything she imagined.

"You sure have a knack for making poor decisions, don't you?"

"I- Excuse me?" Blake stammered out, stupefied by Tanya's blunt comment.

"You heard me, _Blakey;_ your judgment sucks, _big time._ " The fencer was done with the niceties; Blake needed to hear everything she had to say. There seemed to be no other way of making her understand the full gravity of her decision. "I mean it when I say that running was the worst thing you could've done at the time. And it didn't even have to be that way; we could've talked it all out-"

"I did it to protect all of you, don't you understand?! He said he was going to kill all of you-"

"Oh _for fuck's sake,_ Blake... Have you already forgotten what we do?" Tanya brushed her off. "We're Hunters; _it's our job_ to throw ourselves into the fire so ordinary people don't have to, and I don't care we're barely out of our first year! Do you really think we need protecting?"

Blake had no answer to that argument.

Tanya let out a forceful breath; it took every ounce of her willpower not to explode. Shouting match wouldn't resolve anything. "All I want to know is that my friend didn't simply ditch us, that she left for a good reason, ... and so far, you didn't give us _any._ " She looked Blake straight in the eye. "I could understand you acted on impulse, that you were scared and didn't know what to do... but _you didn't come back._ Not even when Vale City was burning and we were literally fighting for our lives out there. And I can't simply overlook that like if it was 'no big deal.'"

Tanya expected another snappy remark, or a tirade about things that they couldn't possibly understand... yet this time, Blake listened without a word.

"We lost homes, we lost people, we damn near lost our lives... Ozpin's gone, Jaune almost died, I nearly lamed myself trying to kill the woman that instigated all of that, and if you think all the suffering ended with the fall of the city, then you're mistaken. One mission after another, with each one bringing in more fuel for nightmares; the Grimm looking to kill and destroy some more, rows of dead people no one would bury, and the crazed Fang fanatics who set out to conquer Remnant instead of bettering it and don't hesitate to slaughter their own brethren to get their way."

Her tone grew more weary the longer she spoke.

"People treated like less than dirt; men, women, kids, humans and Faunus, all worked half to death, sold off and bought like property, or tortured and murdered for whatever reasons... We saw that shit on every mission against the Fang in Vale and everytime I thought to myself: _Blake would've hated this._ But you weren't thereand we didn't know why you left, where you went... or if you were even _alive..._ Did you even care how that made us feel?" The last words were little more than whisper.

For the first couple moments, Blake simply stared wordlessly back at her. There was something unnerving about the look in her eyes, like the poetic peace and quiet before storm broke out.

Very soon, it proved to be no exaggeration.

"You really think I made that decision lightly? You really think I was okay with abandoning everyone I cared about, _again?!_ " Blake almost screamed that part and Tanya fully expected a couple guards barging inside, thinking that the Chieftain's daughter was being murdered.

"You never came back, not even when monsters invaded Vale City! _I don't know what to think!_ " The fencer snapped back.

"How could I come back with White Fang dogging my every step? I couldn't possibly lead them back to you, not after what happened the last time!"

"Though I wager that's not all there is to it, am I right?" Nicolaus cut in.

"I saw the atrocities Fang commited with my own eyes, in Vale and beyond. I barely survived the fall of the city." Blake confessed quietly. "I swore I would do everything I could to make them pay for all their crimes... and I figured if I pissed them off enough, they'd be less likely to come after you. At first, it was just stealing intel and disrupting operations but the things I saw in their outposts, how they treated people that did nothing at all to wrong them... With every compound I infiltrated, my anger grew. Eventually, I started killing; not in self-defense, but by choice. I remember slipping into one of their outposts to free their prisoners... and ended up killing every single Talon trooper stationed there. I didn't even think twice about it." She turned away from her visitors. "I became one of Talon's worst enemies. 'Beast in black,' they called me; psychopath, murderer... monster. And I would've kept killing if Talon hadn't caught me in the end."

"So you left us all behind just to go on a one-woman crusade against Talon?" Roland exclaimed with undisguised bewilderment. "Damn it, haven't you learned anything from your time with us?"

"I couldn't bring myself to come back after I set White Fang upon you!" Blake snapped, eyes brimming with tears. "And now, after I began using the same methods as Talon, after I- after I became a monster like them- I knew you'd be better off without me."

"But did it ever occur to you to take _our feelings_ into consideration when making those judgments? That maybe our opinion would be different from what you expected?" Tanya challenged. "No, you just _assumed_ and decided. That whole crap about us hating you for something or other – _You_ made that conclusion, not us! Why? Why didn't you come to us first, to try and mend things between us before running off on your own? Did everything we went through together mean nothing to you at all?"

She didn't realize she was yelling, not until she noticed Blake recoiling from her with eyes wide. Only then she caught herself... and decided this was the good time to stop. None of them had the strength to continue this conversation when it led nowhere.

"Sorry but... I'm done, Blake." She sighed heavily. "I don't know what happened with you but the longer we speak the more I feel like I'm talking to a stranger. Best to just end it right here." Not waiting for a response, she headed for the door. Though as her hand found a handle, she looked back at her once more. "We're heading to Mistral in a couple days; to deal with the Talon... and Cinder. 'Till then we'll be staying here... So if you want to talk – and by that I mean a real heart-to-heart instead of overused platitudes and half-assed arguments – you know where to find us. Otherwise... I guess this is a goodbye."

 _I'm giving you a chance, Belladonna._ The unsaid words came to her mind. _If you still care about us don't waste it..._ please.

"Hope you get better soon." Those were the last words she said before walking out with her teammates, leaving Blake alone in the room.

* * *

On the way back to their room, they met Kali. The Chieftain's wife seemed to know that their conversation with Blake didn't go well. Tanya supposed it was part of her daily routine to know everything that went on in her house. She couldn't possibly suspect Kali of listening in on them; that was surely beneath someone of her standing. Plus everyone in the house must've heard the shouting... The fencer found herself wondering if she didn't carry it too far; after all, Blake must've been still traumatized by her recent ordeal. The Blake she knew wasn't one to be rattled easily though, and for some reason she wasn't making any sense back there. The only thing Tanya got from that was that Blake seemed intent on isolating herself from her friends for reasons that made sense to her and no one else. It pained her immensely and she already imagined the crestfallen look on Yang's face after she broke the news to her.

Before leaving, she made it clear that she left the door open for Blake to try and reconnect with them. It was all up to Blake now... which frankly didn't fill her with much confidence, given how their talk ended.

The rest of the day went in relative peace. Lunch with the Chieftain and his wife, a tour around the intact parts of the city, a stop at the marketplace... Then, late in the afternoon, there was a funeral service for all those who fell during the Talon attack, with the obvious exception being the invaders. Much to their surprise, Ghira insisted that they attend too... and who were they to refuse the Chieftain?

The service was a depressing affair. So many dead in one place, all mourned by their families and friends who survived the Talon's bloody rampage throughout the city. Tanya didn't know personally anyone of the deceased yet seeing so much grief around her almost made her shed a few tears herself. Just before the service began, she and her friends used some of their money to buy a bunch of flowers and a couple candles; a little something to honor the dead. Even as a local priest recited a funeral oration, Tanya thought of the unfortunate man that saved her life during the assault on Talon base only to lose his own.

Throughout the day, Blake didn't seem to leave her room at all which only served to worsen her already gloomy mood. If the girl wished to cut all ties, it was her decision, even though Tanya didn't want things to end like this. If only she had the damn courage to say it aloud instead of flat-out ignoring them...

In the evening, Ghira invited them into his study for another talk. Fennec Albain was also present, with a couple people they'd never seen before. Those must've been the people that would accompany them to Mistral.

"I'll keep this brief." Ghira began. "As I've promised, I've rounded up volunteers that'll join you on your mission against Red Talon in Mistral, as per our agreement; Mr. Albain and his colleagues from former White Fang outpost and a couple members of the VAM. Twenty five people in total, if I'm not mistaken."

"You're not, sir." Albain noted and nodded curtly at the hunters in training. "You can count on our full support during your upcoming mission."

"Welcome aboard, then." Tanya replied, shaking hands with the former Fang emissary.

"Anyway, your gunboat is almost prepared to set sail; supplies for your journey are being loaded as we speak. And of course, the Fang insignias were painted over, to avoid any incidents." The Chieftain continued. "The only thing left to decide is the time of your departure."

Tanya shared a brief glance with her friends. "What about the morning, right after sunrise?" When they murmured their agreements, she turned back to Ghira. "It seems we've decided: tomorrow morning, right after sunrise."

In the next moment, footsteps sounded outside Ghira's study, just loud enough to be noticed. Nobody paid no mind to it, though. The manor was heavily guarded after the recent attack; no hostile would make it inside unnoticed.

"That settles it, then." Ghira nodded. "Be ready to set out at that time. And don't be surprised if you run into crowds tomorrow; I imagine quite a few people would want to see you off."

 _Ah, I almost forgot we're kinda heroes now,_ Tanya thought jokingly.

"If you have no further questions, then we'll meet tomorrow; at the docks after dawn."

"Sounds good; thanks for your support." The young team leader and the Chieftain shook hands.

 _Look out Mistral,_ she thought with a smirk, _we're gonna hit you very soon._

* * *

It was dead of night; Kuo Kuana and its denizens were fast asleep.

No one in their right mind would be awake at this ungodly hour... and Tanya was understandably and rightly _pissed_ when something roused her from her peaceful slumber.

 _After all the shit we went through... I can't even get my beauty sleep?_

She felt something, or someone, poking her shoulder.

"Too early..." She mumbled. "Go away..."

Yet the offender didn't stop.

With an annoyed groan, she sat up on her bed, willing her eyes to open.

Her eyelids parted, slowly and very unwillingly.

She expected to see a world enveloped in darkness.

When a pair of golden eyes filled her vision she nearly jumped out of her own skin.

* * *

Author's note: _And we're ending with a jumpscare... :-) So here's the update for July that I missed thanks to the accounting classes I applied for. Lectures during a heatwave are not fun, believe me. Anyway, I've got August free before I start going to work so I'll try to write one more chapter while I still got free time.  
_

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)__________


	10. A1 C9) Casting off

**Arc 1 – Menagerie**

Chapter 9 – Casting off

Waking up to the sight of what looked like some vicious predator's eyes was the last thing Tanya expected to happen. In the initial surge of panic, her instincts told her to she started fumbling for her guns, hoping they were somewhere near her sleeping bag. Her heart sank when she felt nothing but cold night air. A single sideways glance told her that her team was still fast asleep oblivious to the grave peril mere couple feet away. She didn't know how exactly she managed to keep quiet but she was prepared to scream up a storm if whatever snuck into the room came any closer...

"Calm down, for goodness' sake, it's me!"

The low harsh whisper only barely stopped her from giving her vocal cords a full-on torture session. As her eyes started adapting to the darkness, she could vaguely make out a human-like figure sitting uncomfortably close, with a pair of triangular shapes on the top of its head-

"Blake?" The girl in question sat on the bare floor almost next to her, wearing nothing except the plain white nightgown.

"What are you doing here at this _ungodly_ hour? And why are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Tanya kept her voice low, careful not to wake up her teammates.

"I- I couldn't sleep." Blake confessed. _And so you decided to keep me up as well,_ Tanya thought acerbically. "And I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh? What for?" In all honesty, Tanya was surprised. She had given up the hope Blake would come along, try and reconnect. To see her there, in the room they slept in... It seemed like a pleasant surprise, despite the time, but she knew better than to get her hopes up.

"I wanted to apologize."

"What kept you so long, then?"

Maybe this wasn't the time for snarky remarks, given Blake's expression soured almost instantly. "Cut the shit, Griffon. You know this isn't easy for me."

Hearing Blake swear was about as normal as hearing Ruby talk about anything related to sex; it just didn't happen. It was a clear sign that Blake was upset and jabs wouldn't help here at all.

"Okay, I get it." Tanya said, raising her hands in surrender. "But really, what's this about?"

Blake was quiet for a moment, her demeanor changing from irritated to nervous and hesitant. Back in Beacon, she used to be quiet, withdrawn and sometimes moody. This... This was unlike her.

"I've been thinking." _Oh, really?_ This time, Tanya halted herself from voicing the remark. "About our talk yesterday... about everything since I left Beacon and Vale. The truth is that- that... " Blake sighed deeply. "I'm a coward."

Tanya blinked, not expecting such conclusion. "What?"

"Adam might be a ruthless killer, a bloodthirsty psychopath... but he was right about this one thing." Blake continued, paying no heed to the other girl's bewildered gaze. "Yes, I dedicated myself to a good cause, I fought and risked my life to protect people I cared about... but it always comes down to this: whenever things cease going my way I run... from everyone and everything."

Tanya didn't say a word, listening to Blake's confession.

"First when my dad gave up his leadership of the Fang. He did it because he disagreed with the violent strategy his organization adopted, without his consent. But me? I thought it a betrayal; that he gave up on fighting against oppression, that he left his people. When my parents decided to leave for Menagerie I refused to come along, deciding to keep fighting for White Fang and Adam." She laughed bitterly. "I distinctly remember calling my father 'a coward,' ironically enough. But he wasn't guilty – _I was,_ and I wouldn't realize until much later. As I watched my father's organization degenerate into a mob of terrorists, I came to realize that wasn't what I was fighting for. So, about six years after leaving my family, I ran again; this time, from White Fang and Adam."

Though it was difficult to see in near dark, Tanya noticed Blake's hands clenching.

"The two of us were on a mission to intercept a train and steal a shipment of Dust from SDC... or so I thought. We snuck aboard, dealt with a couple security mechs... and then Adam pulled out a demolition charge. He planned to blow the train up with everyone aboard... and didn't tell me a thing. It was at that moment when I decided I'd had enough." Blake's voice hardened. "While Adam was busy fighting off the androids, I disjointed the train and left Adam on the cargo car while the rest of the train sped away. I fulfilled the _original_ objective, without killing anyone... and then I left. The first chance I got, I applied for Beacon... and you know the rest. _Most of it,_ at least."

"Most of it?" Tanya intoned.

"Everything was going well for a time... but I made it difficult for myself by trying to pass as a human. I wanted to be treated as an equal but the deception proved to be a mistake. When my disguise was blown, by a Schnee, no less- You guessed it: I ran." Blake chuckled humorlessly. "I might've come back in the end but only because my friends found me before I could chicken out. Then I dragged you into my personal war against the Fang and nearly got all of you killed when they tracked me down. Yang nearly died because she tried to save me from Adam and-" A soft sniffle interrupted her speech filled with regret, anger and self-loathing. "I left as soon as I got patched up. I didn't want to see people I care about get hurt because of me; I couldn't face you knowing that I let you all down."

"You let us down when you left us; you know that, right?"

Tanya cursed internally. Her resentment reared its head for a moment- and the remark slipped through her lips before she could stop it.

Much to her surprise, Blake didn't dispute it. "I know... but I was a coward; running was all I knew. I kept telling myself that if I cut all ties with you then the Fang couldn't use you to get to me- That Adam wouldn't come after you to hurt me. But then Vale City got destroyed... and all I could think about was revenge. An eye for an eye... _a life for a life._ Yet you saw where it got me; in a small bare cell with a small hole in the ceiling as the only source of light. I was one of Talon's worst enemies and they made sure I knew and felt it. I don't know how long I was stuck in there, chained down like a wild beast, beaten near-unconscious, starved, humiliated, all of that almost every day... They hated me that much."

 _God..._ All the previous resentment was gone, replaced by sorrow. What those pigs subjected Blake to... It could only be described as a very slow murder and it was a damn miracle she managed to live through all that. _Say what you will but no one deserves that kind of torment._

"I thought that I was going to die there, that I was never getting out... and all I could think about was all the mistakes I made. Small part of me thought I deserved whatever was coming." The way Blake said it sent chills down Tanya's back. "Then one day I was pulled out of my cell and brought onto a ship... and the next thing I knew I was on Menagerie, about to be used as a tool of revenge on my father. I was sure it was the end of me... yet here I am, talking to the last person I expected to see."

 _You're extremely lucky things ended the way they did... that we found you before the worst happened._

One could argue that they owed the success of the Menagerie mission to incredible luck. The enemy had both numbers and the element of surprise... yet they managed to defeat them in a furious battle that wrecked a large part of the city. Thinking about all the heavy fighting with numerous close calls that somehow didn't end with their death made Tanya wonder just how long their fortune would hold.

"A normal person would be happy to get a chance to make things right... yet here I was prepared to run away _again,_ in a way." Blake shook her head. "I'm terrible at confronting my own problems. When I began actively fighting back against the Fang I thought I finally managed to change my ways... but when things went to hell I reverted back to running. Sometimes I can't help it but think it's the only thing I'm good at."

Tanya couldn't have known how long Blake remained in Talon captivity. It could've been weeks, or even months... but she had a suspicion that whatever she was put through broke her in some way. Blake might've been an introvert, a bit of a recluse even, but she always gave the impression of a calm and collected fighter, fully able to handle herself in any situation and well aware of her abilities. Now she couldn't act any more different, talking about herself like if she were the worst person in the world.

The question was why she approached her old friends with her problems instead of bottling things up, like she did at Beacon once. Just yesterday, it seemed things were over between them...

"Blake... Why are you telling me this?"

"I've been thinking; about everything that happened since Vale City fell, about everything I did..." Blake broke off for a moment, glancing out of the window. The night sky had begun paling just above the horizon. "Back in that horrible cell, I made myself a promise; if I survived, if I somehow made it out, _I would stop running_ – for good. Yet then I almost ran again, in a way. I think I didn't really hope to live long enough to escape; why else would I almost break that promise soon after coming back home?" She chuckled cheerlessly. "I don't want to be a coward anymore but- If even coming to you was so difficult, how can I hope to change?"

"I... I don't get this."

Both girls were slightly startled to hear a voice that belonged to neither of them, just a couple feet away. They turned towards the intruder only to see the rest of team TNDR staring back at them.

"How long have you been awake? And how much did you hear?" Blake didn't appear to be bothered by Tanya personally didn't much appreciate anyone listening in on their conversation, even if it were her friends and teammates.

"I personally heard almost everything." Nicolaus answered readily. "It's hard to sleep when someone talks just a couple feet away... and my good hearing doesn't make it any easier."

"Back to the topic," Roland cut in again. "Blake, for as long as I've known you, I've never seen you hesitate to fight and you're about as good a fighter as most men, maybe even better. I saw you help others even when it meant putting yourself in danger? _How the hell does that make you a coward?_ "

"There's more to courage that just being willing to fight." Blake replied quietly. "It's ironic; I never shied away from combat, I've killed people without batting an eye... yet when it comes to dealing with my own problems I just turn tail and flee. I used to justify that by 'greater good' and other nonsense but it always comes down to one thing: _fear_. Of the unknown, of the possible consequences of my actions, of making choices, of being hurt or rejected... The fear made running seem more... bearable."

"Tell me one thing," Tanya questioned. "After we talked earlier, I was starting to think we were really through. Obviously, I thought wrong... but you never told me what made you come back."

It took a couple moments before Blake formulated a response.

"I told you about my personal promise to stop running... But it it weren't for my mom, I'd let fear overcome me and waste my chance to make things right; she gave me the push I needed."

"What did she do?"

"More than I thought, honestly." Blake answered Nicolaus' question, with a touch of melancholy in her voice. "Mom was at my side almost constantly since I came back home. And near all that time, we talked; she wanted to know what I've been doing all the six years after parting ways with the family. I told her everything, without holding back; every mistake I made, all the hurt I cause... all the lives I took. I fully expected her to hate me... but she didn't. _A true monster would've felt no remorse,_ she told me. Then I told her about you – my friends from Beacon – and asked her what she'd do in my place: come back and risk rejection or cut all ties – forever? And do you know what she said?"

"I dunno," Tanya shrugged. "But whatever it was, it must've helped."

" _So it's a choice between suffering through the pain now and let time heal the wounds... or spend the rest of your life in anguish, knowing your friends could or could not have forgiven you but you never worked up the courage to approach them and find out for sure?_ How could I have argued with that?" Blake sniffled softly. "My parents were always so much wiser than I can ever hope to be. I should've never left; things would've been so much different now. _I_ _could've been different._ "

 _Your mom must be a wonderful woman,_ Tanya thought, _unlike mine._ It's been months since her mother left home without as much as a word, abandoning her husband and children for some beau in Mistral... yet her feelings of loathing didn't lessen one bit.

"It doesn't matter what happened; it's not like you can change it, anyway." Emery remarked. "The really important thing is: what will you do?" Nobody except Blake could see it at the time, but Tanya was positively beaming with pride.

"Well, that depends..." Blake took everyone by surprise with her next words. "How many people can your gunboat take?"

Just like everybody else on her team, Tanya had so many questions at the moment. Why would she ask about that? And how would she even know? They never mentioned to her they'd be leaving for Mistral this morning...

"Um... What gunboat?" Roland asked, trying to feign ignorance.

He should've known better than to play dumb in front of Blake. "You know damn well what I'm talking about, Peregrine."

The rifleman shook his head in stubborn denial though Nicolaus suddenly cut in before he could even speak.

"Have you been spying on us yesterday?!"

There seemed to be no end to surprises...

"I heard someone behind the close door during our meeting with your dad." The fox Faunus elaborated even as Blake stared at him with an innocent expression. "I thought it was just someone walking by at first but when everything was settled, I heard someone run away and then it became pretty clear to me. Who else could possibly take interest in a conversation between the Chieftain himself and Beacon students who just happened to be acquainted with his kid?" He finished and pointed at the appendages atop his head. "You might be good at sneaking around but you can't fool _these ears,_ Belladonna."

"Alright, I confess." Blake raised her hands in mock surrender. "Guilty as charged."

Tanya was starting to understand why Blake was asking about the gunboat though she found it difficult to believe. If her suspicion proved correct... she sure hoped the girl wasn't being serious. "So let me get this straight; you were planning to smuggle yourself aboard our ship. Am I correct?"

The only answer she received was a curt nod... exactly what she was afraid of.

In the next moment, Roland exploded. "Have you gone off your damn rocker, Blake?!" He half-whispered, half-shouted. "You want to sail to Mistral in this state, when you can barely stand on your own feet? We're heading there to keep a war from breaking out, not to play babysitters!"

"That was a little too harsh, Gunny." Nicolaus commented. Tanya was inclined to agree, seing the shock and dejection on Blake's face.

"How am I being harsh, Nick? _I'm doing her a favor,_ if anything!" The sharpshooter argued. "Do you really think she can even hold her own after everything those Talon sons-a-bitches did to her? She's in no condition to fight; someone will have to look after her and make sure she won't do anything dumb while we're out fighting bad guys... And that will only make things more difficult for all of us! She'll be a _dead weight_ – and I'm saying that 'cause there's no other way of putting it! No – it'll be better for _all of us_ if she stays home and recovers!"

For once, Tanya had to admit that her partner had a point even though he didn't have to put it in such blunt terms. On the other hand, she shouldn't have expected anything less from him since he was never the one to mince words...

Nevertheless, she herself had reservations about Blake's intentions. With the CCT down, there was no way to learn about the situation in Mistral. They were going in blind which was a hazard by itself. Besides, reaching the coast of Anima was only one part of their journey; after that, unless some kind of miracle happened, they'd be walking the rest of the way to Mistral City. Could Blake handle that, given the state of her health? Hardly. A group was only as strong as its weakest member; if someone or something attacked them on the way, they'd be at severe disadvantage because someone would have to protect Blake. Plus, her mental state also raised some questions; who's to say she wouldn't act recklessly and put them all in danger?

To sum it up, allowing Blake on board seemed like a bad idea.

"Why do you want to come along?" Tanya asked, just to humor the girl. "And why should I even let you?"

"I know you're fighting Talon and whoever was behind the destruction of Vale City." Blake replied. "And I know you're not doing this alone."

"You've been spying on us this whole time?" Emery exclaimed incredulously. "How come nobody caught you out of bed?"

"No! Only the last evening – and I've been careful." She argued. It sure sounded she went through a world of pain just to learn the things she knew. "Besides, dad mentioned bits and pieces about you and your mission when we talked; nothing specific but it wasn't hard to piece it all together."

"You haven't answered my question, yet." Tanya stated with a hint of impatience.

"I told you before – I'm done running, I'm done being a coward... and I want to prove it!"

"By becoming a martyr or something?" Roland said dubiously. "You won't be doing anyone a favor by trying to get yourself killed."

"I never planned on that." The cat Faunus snapped back. "I want to atone for all the hurt I caused – and I want to start now, personal comfort be damned! Yes, I'm in no shape to fight but that doesn't mean I can't offer _some sort_ of help!" Her voice faded into a whisper. "And if I'm right and my old team is in Mistral too... I want to make amends even if they don't take me back; I owe it to them."

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Tanya shook her head in bewilderment. The girl was dead-set on tagging along and she wasn't sure what to do.

"I am." Blake nodded. "I'd rather face rejection than just toss everything aside like some clutter."

Tanya had half the mind to shoot down the entire idea. Blake could barely leave her parents' mansion, let alone undertake a journey to a continent hundreds of miles away. Bringing her along would mean trouble for many reasons, most of all constant protection and medical attention. Just like Roland said, she'd be a baggage instead of an asset.

That's what common sense told her, anyway. Yet on the other hand, who was she to deny the girl a chance to redeem herself? If she was willing to go to such lengths to atone, rejecting her request would feel almost cruel.

This was the kind of decision Tanya hated; _damned if you do, damned if you don't..._ Which was why she refused to make the choice, in the end.

"Look, I still think it's a terrible idea to travel so far while you're still recovering... but since you probably won't stop bugging me about it, I suggest _this._ " The leader of team TNDR finally said. "I'm willing to allow you to accompany us... but only with your dad's approval."

Blake's hopeful expression morphed instantly into one of dismay. "You're joking."

"I'm afraid not." Tanya replied. "I'm not going behind your father's back with this. Imagine how he'd react if you left with us without saying a word to anyone – and then a couple months later your dad received a letter that you got yourself killed. Who do you think he'd hold responsible? Besides, didn't you say you were done running?"

"Yeah, I did." Blake lowered her head. "But father would never approve of this-"

"And if he forbids you from tagging along, none of us will blame you. But do you really have the stomach to break your parents' hearts by sneaking away so soon after coming back home?"

Nicolaus' remark seemed to get through to her. Luckily, because Tanya sure wasn't ready for another argument. "Well, when you put it that way..." Blake sighed. "Father is not gonna be happy. I suppose there's no changing your mind about this?"

Tanya made her stand very clear, however. "Not a chance."

"Thought as much... This is gonna be a hell of a morning; let's hope it won't end a complete catastrophe." Blake chuckled humorlessly and stood up, after a brief struggle against her own wounded body. "Sorry for the early wake-up call; I'll leave you alone now."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Roland suddenly broke into quiet laughter.

"What's so funny?" Emery questioned.

"She made a cat pun... and didn't even realize-" The gunman snickered only to be interrupted by a pillow to the face.

"Shut up!"

* * *

After that lengthy conversation, none of them thought they'd be able to sleep anymore. The opposite proved true, though; by the time they awoke from their slumber, it was way past the dawn... and Tanya proceeded to have a minor fit of panic.

"Shit! Guys, we're late! Hurry up, we gotta go!"

The preparations for the upcoming journey ran at a hectic pace regardless of how little there was to pack. Only ammo, Dust and whatever they bought in the market the previous day, which admittedly was not much. Still, none of them wanted to upset the Chieftain by dilly-dalling when they were already behind schedule. It would give the impression that they didn't much appreciate his assistance.

It would explain why none of them thought of having a meal before departing...

Strangely, the Chieftain didn't show up to urge them to hurry up. Was the journey postponed for some reason? It could be possible... but why hasn't anyone told them yet?

This was the question that repeatedly came to Roland's mind as he was loading new rounds into the empty magazines of his guns. At the time, he was completely alone in the room his team stayed in for the past couple days. His teammates were out for morning hygiene or perhaps last-minute shopping. After their bird got shot down, they had precious little left, aside from ammo and Dust which managed to survive the crash. The Chieftain didn't forget to load food supplies onto their ship but Roland doubted he'd think of including spare clothes. No change of clothes was quite an inconvenience, but they'd manage somehow...

The real challenge was making their way to the borders of Mistral after reaching the coast of Anima. The no man's land filled with monsters and next to no civilization along the way, unless one counted bandits and other unsavory characters... Such environment was bound to test their limits. Personally, he was ready for it and so was his team but he couldn't speak for the rest of his company. How many of them would turn back once things started going to hell?

The door to the room suddenly flew open. Tanya stepped in with a rather sour grimace on her face. "I just learned our journey's been delayed; the earliest we can leave is in about an hour." The team leader grumbled. "All that rush and it was for nothing... I could've slept in."

"How do you know?"

"The Chieftain told me; bumped into him a while ago." She explained. "He seemed pretty peeved for some reason."

"Oh yeah? Think it has something to do with-" Roland finally looked up from the rifle in his lap... and for a moment, his brain stopped working. His eyes remained fixed on Tanya's choice of attire, _if it could be called that_.

Navy-style jacket and beige pants remained, although a little worn and torn after countless battles. However, her violet blouse was now replaced by a long, thin strip of fabric of the same color, wrapped around her upper torso in a way he never saw before. Resting on the back of her neck, both halves of the strip then continued to run down her chest and across one another right above her collarbones, each one covering her breast, then around her lower ribs and crossing once again on her back; both ends of the strip were tied together in a double knot right under her bust. This new top, or whatever it was called, was rather provocative, covering little more than the bare minimum, and Roland found it very difficult to look away; after all, despite all his training he was just a man.

The awkward pause lasted for a couple seconds but somehow he managed to get a hold of himself... but his leader already noticed his staring. "-Blake?" He finished lamely, fighting back a blush.

"You should put that tongue back in your mouth before you end up stepping on it!" Tanya teased mercilessly.

"Very funny." Roland deadpanned, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Didn't think you'd be the one to wear something like this."

"Yesterday at the marketplace, I saw couple women wearing something similar. I needed something to replace my old shirt; this is cheap, simple and it looks great, so I bought it. And," She chuckled. "with this on, fighting men will be a piece of cake since a little bare skin is enough to throw them off."

 _Wow... thanks a lot._ "Anyway," Roland cleared his throat, aiming to change the topic. "Any news on Blake?"

"Chieftain didn't mention her so I guess we'll wait and see." Tanya shrugged.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to bring her along?"

"No, not really... but if I refused, she'd somehow smuggle herself aboard our tub anyway. You know once she sets her mind on something, there's no stopping her." _Yang managed that once though_ , Roland thought, _doubt I ever learn how._ "But if the impossible happens and her dad allows her to leave with us... we'll just have to bear with it."

Personally, Roland hoped it wouldn't come to that. They had enough problems already, even without the unruly patient Blake was. "Just tell me you have some sort of plan if she winds up on board."

"Come on, Gunny, who do you think I am?" Tanya grinned. "I sure as hell ain't gonna give her a free rein around the ship; if something happened to her, old Belladonna would eat us all alive!"

"Well, that I could believe." Roland chuckled and put his rifle away, now properly cleaned and oiled. "Now, what are we gonna do with all the free time that suddenly fell into our lap?"

* * *

As it turned out, the delay lasted almost two hours; enough time for the hunters in training to visit the marketplace again to buy some spare clothes. It meant that their collective savings dwindled to only a couple hundred Lien, not even remotely enough to buy a week's supply of food. But as the team leader herself put it, _'we'll figure something out along the way.'_ Money was useless in a wasteland teeming with monsters and in case they were truly short on cash, there was always paid work to be found for hunters.

By the time they finally returned to the Belladonna residence, the Chieftain was already waiting for them, accompanied by a couple members of the guard. He had just received word that their gunboat was ready to set sail with all hands accounted for.

There was no sense in putting it off. The hunters in training grabbed their luggage and followed the Chieftain to the docks, preparing themselves for the next stage of their campaign against Cinder and her lackeys.

As soon as they walked through the entrance to the docks, they had a clear view of the vessel that would carry them to Anima.

It was a rather small ship, certainly not longer than 200 feet, and it had the looks of a typical warship, with a tall superstructure amidships surrounded by multiple guns, two heavy cannons in turrets on the bow and stern and several lighter weapons mounted on the sides. Obviously very well suited for combat, this ship was well capable of fighting off any Grimm. On the other hand, military vessels usually offered little comfort to its crew and it was unlikely this gunboat would be an exception.

They couldn't care less, though; as long as this tub got them safely to Anima, they wouldn't mind roughing it for a couple days.

"So that's our ticket to Mistral? Not too shabby." Roland remarked as he contemplated the ship. There were several crewmen moving around on the main deck. "Wonder where Talon got their hands on this."

"Stole it, most likely." Nicolaus deadpanned. "What else?"

"Your ship is fully stocked and manned by full crew which, of course doesn't include Albain and his group." Chieftain Belladonna spoke, ignoring their banter. "Once you disembark in Anima, this vessel will be returning here to be integrated into our defense fleet. A ship like this is like a gift from heavens for us; it would be foolish of us not to put it to good use."

"I can definitely believe that," Tanya nodded. "By the way, why the hold up this morning?"

The Chieftain frowned heavily. "Something came up... we had to accommodate one more passenger."

"Who?" Tanya asked innocently. Roland would bet the little money he had left that she knew what this was about... as did he. _There's no way he'd allow it,_ he kept telling himself. _There's no way..._

"Believe it or not, it was my own daughter that approached me on this issue... I'm getting a migraine just thinking about it." The leader of Menagerie grumbled. "I don't know what possessed that girl but she was adamant about going to Mistral with you."

"Just for the record, we disagreed... but you know how stubborn Blake can get." Nicolaus remarked.

"Of course I'd know... I'm her father." The Chieftain made a sound between a laugh and an annoyed huff. "When she waltzed up to us and told us of her intentions, just like that, without any preamble, Kali looked like she was about to faint. To make such a long journey when she's barely recovered from the treatment those _bloodthirsty barbarians_ were giving her for so long... I wasn't sure if she lost her mind. Hell, I'm _still_ not sure. Kali pleaded with her, I tried talking some sense into her... but no matter what we said, it seemed to go completely over her head. As much as I hate doing this, I had half the mind to outright forbid her from leaving, but..."

Well, it seemed that Tanya's plan failed; Blake somehow managed to convince her dad to let her go, despite their expectations. _This can either go very well or very badly,_ Roland sighed inwardly. _Like there isn't enough shit for us to deal with..._

"But what?" Tanya inquired.

"Blake made it clear it was a deeply personal matter. I know my daughter and I know when she sets her mind on something, there's no stopping her." Ghira sighed. "I fear if I forbade her from coming with you, she'd come up with something drastic and reckless just to get away from here and in her state of health it could kill her."

"So you chose what you thought to be the 'lesser evil.'" Roland stated bluntly. _Which also means more work for us._

"That's the gist of it." The Chieftain admitted. "In the end I allowed to accompany you... but on one condition."

"Which is..." Nicolaus intoned, prompting him to continue.

"She's to obey whoever is in charge of the mission, _to the letter._ Which, to all intents and purposes, means Mr. Albain... _and you._ " Ghira's last words were directed straight at Tanya. Predictably, she wasn't much enthused by the idea, judging by the way her shoulders sagged slightly.

"And what if she won't listen? What am I supposed to do then?" The fencer lamented.

"Then Mr. Albain will order the helmsman to turn back and drop Blake on Menagerie, without the option of leaving the island." The Chieftain said simply. "You should remind her it's in her best interests to be compliant; would she want to be responsible for delaying your mission and possibly putting your colleagues in Mistral in jeopardy because you'd be unable to provide them with timely assistance?"

"I see what you mean." Nicolaus remarked with an almost imperceptible smirk.

"So we're resorting to emotional blackmail? Blake's _so_ gonna love this." Tanya huffed.

"It goes without saying that this should count towards the more... extreme measures." Ghira said, his voice gradually taking on a menacing edge. "In the end, I don't much care how you do it; I want my daughter to come back alive and in one piece. If something happens to her... I'm holding _all of you_ responsible and I trust I don't have to elaborate on the consequences of your possible failure?"

In that moment, it felt as if the Chieftain suddenly grew taller than the CCT tower back in Beacon, casting a dark, ominous shadow all over them.

"We won't let you down, sir!" Amazingly enough, Tanya managed to say it without stuttering.

"I'll hold you to that." Ghira drawled. The imaginary dark cloud looming over them vanished. "Now, we've been chit-chatting long enough; time to get you on the road, figuratively speaking."

As they approached the pier where their gunboat was moored at, the hunters in training noticed a crowd of onlookers was starting to form at the wire fence surrounding the docks; mostly residents of Kuo Kuana, men, women and children. The word was getting around fast and the news of the survivors of White Fang embassy leaving for Mistral to strike back against Talon was sure to draw a lot of attention. And the fact that _humans_ helped to beat back the invaders? Given the history between humans and Faunus, no one should be surprised if this detail was overlooked.

Accompanied by Ilia and some other woman they didn't recognize, Fennec Albain came out of the ship's under deck and walked down the gangway to meet them. A few steps behind them, Blake followed along with her mother who appeared visibly upset. _And for a good reason,_ Roland thought. _Blake's been gone for six fucking years and Kali probably thought she'd never see her again. Now they finally met, after all this time... and Blake takes it into her head that she needs to leave again. Mom's gotta be heart-broken..._

The two groups met a couple feet away from the gangway.

"Chieftain," Albain announced with a polite nod. "I've ordered a last check of the ship before we depart. Everything is in order; the vessel is seaworthy, fully stocked up on supplies, ammo was replenished, all crewmen are accounted for... and I've acquired all the medical supplies you requested." He added with a telling glance at Blake; the Chieftain's daughter hung back, like if she was trying her hardest to disappear.

"Good, very good." The Chieftain rumbled. "My daughter will need them."

"You don't need to-" Blake piped up but Ghira was quick to shot her down.

"You be quiet, girl! I allowed you to go to Mistral even though I had half the mind to tie you down to your bed until you forgot all about this insane idea, even though Kali would hate me for going along with it, even though you're in such poor health it's a wonder you can even walk! The least you can do to show your appreciation is _not do anything to get yourself killed and actually try and get better, damn it!_ "

The sheer volume of his voice made everyone wince.

Kali stepped in front of Blake protectively. "Stop it Ghira, you're scaring the poor girl!"

"No, she needs to hear this, Kali! For six years, I didn't even know if our daughter was alive! Now, a couple days after returning home she expects me to let her head off into danger again!" Becoming conscious of everyone nearby staring wide-eyed at him, Ghira cleared his throat and continued in much lower voice. "I don't know what possessed me to agree with this but if she wants to adventure, it won't be for free." He shifted his attention back to his startled daughter. "You'll report every day to Doctor Hacksaw for medical treatment. Also don't forget that Mr. Albain and Miss Griffon are in charge of not only their respective groups but also the mission itself; you will answer directly to them and obey all their orders. Do you understand?"

Blake nodded frantically, trembling slightly after her father's outburst. _Angry Belladonna is a scary Belladonna..._

"Good... Your _superiors_ will see to it. Now," As the Chieftain addressed everyone around, his voice grew more cordial. "All that's left to do now is to wish you good luck on your mission. Hopefully you'll end the Talon menace for good."

Tanya stepped forward and shook hands with the Chieftain. "In case I didn't say it earlier, we really appreciate your help. We'll do our best to make it count."

"We're casting off in five minutes!" One of the crewmen on the main deck shouted.

"You heard the man," Ghira stated with only a barest hint of a smile. "You better get on board before they leave without you."

While his friends watched Blake share a farewell hug with her parents, even her father who forgot all about his previous anger, Roland kept glancing between the surrounding city and the gangway leading on the gunboat's deck, wondering if they would ever come back here in the future. Somehow he felt more comfortable here than in the crowded streets of Vale City, despite being a human in a place inhabited exclusively by Faunus...

After this whole Talon and Cinder mess was dealt with, maybe they could visit again... but right now, it was back to work.

Blake was the first to walk down the gangway. It wasn't hard to imagine what was going through their parents' minds as they watched her disappear in the gunboat's insides. Then... it was their turn.

One person at the time, members of team TNDR crossed the gangway and boarded the ship that would take them right to the den of vipers.

* * *

Author's note: _And that concludes the Arc 1 of the story. Next time we'll have a look at team JRRNNY and their adventures, plus some other interesting developments. No spoilers, though :-P_

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)___________


	11. Interlude 1

**Interlude 1**

Deep in the jungles of western Anima, the inhospitable no man's land where monsters roamed freely with no one to challenge them, fire lit up the trees surrounding a small clearing, a proverbial island in the seemingly unending sea of green. The light was strong enough to chase away darkness, even as night started its descent upon the land.

Deep in the woods, right in the middle of the clearing, there was a campfire with seven sleeping bags scattered disorderedly in near vicinity. One might think that whoever set up camp there was either brave or suicidal because no sane person would dare venture so deep into the green hell teeming with the creatures of Grimm, the enemy of all life.

These were no ordinary people, however. Those were Hunters... and killing monsters was their trade. Some people could be misled by their youthful appearance, with most of them looking like they were barely out of their teens... which they were, of course. Hunters in training, officially, yet they were capable enough to take on even the most dangerous opponents. What's more, they were led by none other than the infamous Qrow Branwen, one of, if not the most lethal Huntsman of this time...

… who, right now, was too busy refilling his flask with a new batch of whiskey, paying absolutely no attention to his wards.

The sharp smell of booze was slowly spreading through the air. The rest of the company, fittingly named Team JRRNNY, was doing their best to ignore the pungent aroma, very glad for not being Faunus. Nothing racist, of course; their superior sense of smell would make the experience outright agonizing.

A couple steps away, Ruby Rose was observing the scene with disapproval, her back leaning against the trunk of a dead tree. It was nothing unusual for her to see her uncle getting drunk, with his booze flask always within an arm's reach. She still adored him, despite his 'little' alcohol problem... she only wished he wouldn't show off his drinking habit so openly.

When her 'Drunkle Qrow,' as everyone called him nowadays, cursed profusely as whiskey suddenly spilt out of the overfilled flask, she barely managed to bit back a chuckle at his expense.

"That's his- what? Second bottle since we left Beacon?" Ruby turned around to see her 'big sister' Yang sit down next to her.

"I dunno," The girl with the scythe shrugged. "I'm more wondering where he keeps all those bottles."

"Any reason why you didn't ask him yet?"

"'Cuz he'd say he'd have to kill me if he told me?"

The two half-sisters giggled quietly, not keeping their eyes off Drunkle Qrow as he was wiping his flask clean with his cape. The man then examined the whiskey bottle that half-emptied into the flask... and promptly took a huge swig out of it.

"So... how's the rest of the gang doing?" Ruby asked, watching the flames dance in the campfire.

"Oh you know... the usual." Yang snorted. "Nora's being her usual crazy gabby self and Ren's trying his hardest not to go nuts because of it, Pyr and Jauney can't wait for the rest of us to go somewhere else just so they could screw each other blind- What? It's true! Can't you see it?"

"Yeah I can," Ruby grumbled, disgust clear on her face. "Doesn't mean I want to hear it, especially from you. We know how lewd you can get."

"Aw, you're hurting me!" Yang whined mockingly, putting a hand on her chest, where her heart would be.

"I bet if Gunny was around here, we'd have already caught the two of you doing all sorts of nasty stuff!"

" _Nasty stuff?_ You're too innocent for your own good, sis." Yang laughed and ruffled Ruby's hair, completely disregarding her protests. "Besides, we can be subtle!"

"The two of you?" Ruby scoffed, finally managing to push the offending hand away. "One with shotgun gauntlets and the other with a gun-cannon; you wouldn't know 'subtle' if it kicked ya right in the butt!"

"Yeah, whatever you say, Rubes." The boxer teased. "You're just jealous."

"Of what? That you're about as gentle as a battering ram?"

"It means I can deal a proper blow... unlike you, little miss 'I can't throw a punch to save my life!'"

The half-sisters glared at each other for a couple moments. Then their little roasting session ended with a fit of laughter.

"You totally didn't need to remind me of _that,_ " Ruby wiped a tear off her eye.

"That's exactly why you should learn some proper hand-to-hand, like ages ago!" Yang argued, flexing her arms theatrically.

"Yeah, because we've already tried that and it worked out so well," Ruby remarked sarcastically. She didn't need a tutor to know she was terrible at throwing punches... and she did try to learn. The couple hours of training with Yang only solidified her opinion that she was hopeless at hand-to-hand and thus she stuck with her scythe. And despite some blunders on her part, it was working out well. "You didn't tell me how you're doing." She meant to ask earlier but Yang's dirty jokes derailed the conversation.

"Oh don't you worry about me; I'm doing great!" Yang exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "I'm gross and sweaty, my hair's a mess and my legs feel like they're about to fall off but I'm great!"

Right, team JRRNNY was going on foot for the last couple days.

The Atlesian transport dropped them off near Anima's western coast with all their baggage, contrary to the plan. Originally, the airmen were supposed to take them to the borders of the Kingdom of Mistral, at the very least; while Mistral was in control of the entire continent, only the borders of the inner provinces were properly maintained and the outer area was only thinly populated. In the end, the plan was ignored as the airmen had orders to avoid losing the aircraft at all costs and they interpreted the order as a permission to turn back and drop them all off at the first sign of trouble. A couple hostile contacts on the radar were enough to abandon their mission. Qrow was livid about this situation but there was nothing he could do.

At least the flyboys were kind enough to unload their supplies before kicking them off the plane...

And so they've been walking, through this steaming hot, sickeningly green hell of a jungle, for days. This was the day three of the hike and during that time, they've been attacked by Grimm on multiple occasions. True, with Qrow's help they beat the monsters back easily enough but in order to evade confrontation with other Grimm searching in their vicinity, they had to pick up the pace... and that didn't really sit well with everyone. Though nobody compained aloud, it seemed pretty clear that the gang was getting sick of the trek, especially when they were yet to see any semblance of civilization.

Take Yang, for example. Though voicing no objection, she was pissed, which was surprising for someone who could pummel her enemies to the ground no matter how much beating she got.

"You just gotta deal with it, Yang. You're not the only one being miserable here." Ruby pointed out.

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working, sis." Yang grumbled, kicking a stray stone. "All this traipsing around and we've got nothing to show for it! And Qrow ain't talking to us; when I asked him how long until we finally reach Mistral- And you know what he said? _'It ain't far, just keep going!'_ I'm starting to think he doesn't really know where we are or where we're going. Stupid old boozer..."

"Yang!" Ruby gasped, shock written all over her face. She and her half-sister had always looked up to Qrow as the cool, monster-slaying uncle and she never heard Yang talk ill of him, until now. "Why did you say that? You don't think Qrow will get us to Mistral?"

"I don't know what to think anymore." Yang blew a shuddering breath, running one of her gloved hands down her face. "Things have been going downhill since we left Beacon. First, they split us apart, then those chickenshits from Atlas left us here, in the middle of freakin' _nowhere,_ 'cause they freaked out over a couple red dots on the screen! We could've been someplace warm now, like an inn or something... and instead we're stuck in this wasteland, sleeping on the ground like two-bit hobos!"

Another rock flew uncomfortably close past Ruby's side as Yang kicked it in frustration. "We haven't gotten anywhere and Qrow promised he'd help me once we ge-"

"With what?"

Yang abruptly fell silent once Ruby posed the question, her anger gone in a second. "It's nothing, sis." She said quickly, pointedly looking at her boots.

"Yang, you're being weird. What's the matter?" Ruby didn't like at all how Yang suddenly became so evasive, dodging her question. There was obviously something wrong, despite her sister's denial.

"Nothing you should worry about. Just forget about it."

"Sis, why aren't you-" Before she could finish, Qrow's voice rang out throughout the clearing.

"Hey kids, come 'ere! Time to assign guard duty for the night; who wants to go first? Don't get too eager, though; give your friends a chance!"

He was fairly drunk, as evidenced by his slurred speech; nothing out of the ordinary.

Ruby watched as Yang walked off without a single word to join their friends who were gathering around Qrow, none of them looking too enthusiastic about the prospect of having to give up their precious sleep. Her sister was hiding something and she didn't like it one bit. What happened to facing all their problems together?

This didn't mean she would let this go, not even remotely. It might take time and effort, and perhaps a bit of guile but she'd get to the bottom of this. But for now, she would focus on helping get all of them alive out of this god-forsaken place.

* * *

"Are you serious?"

Blake Belladonna was not a happy woman at the moment.

When she made her decision to accompany team TNDR to Mistral, she thought she might help make a difference, repent for leaving Beacon behind at possible the worst time. True, thanks to the 'hospitality' of her previous captors, she was in no condition to fight but she thought she'd be able to assist in some way, at least. Alas, nothing seemed to be going as she planned. In fact, things started out pretty damn terrible.

"I'm afraid so," The black-haired fencer before her stated in a tone that clearly signified she wouldn't budge. "Your Dad specifically told me to keep an eye on you to make sure you recover and stay out of trouble."

"Even if it means locking me up in this damn cabin?!"

"Exactly, so don't argue with me."

And therein lay the problem. For the duration of the voyage, she'd have a ball and chain on her leg, figuratively speaking. She wouldn't get to do anything without Griffon's or Albain's approval and would be under constant watch by doctor Hacksaw. Blake shuddered at the though of the doctor; she was a gentle and kind lady, in spite of her awful last name. It wasn't fair to her but Blake couldn't help it; for some reason just seeing that woman made her hair stand up on end.

It wasn't merely having to deal with someone who scared the wits out of her for some inexplicable reason. She was starting to feel like a prisoner again with the only difference being that she was getting a fair treatment. And it was all thanks to her father... On the one hand, Blake was grateful to him for giving her this chance; she still felt guilty about leaving her family so soon after coming back home but she couldn't pass her possibly only chance at redemption. On the other hand, though... Father went to great lengths to make sure she wouldn't get hurt, giving Albain and Griffon virtually unlimited authority over her. While she couldn't speak for the former White Fang emissary, she was sure Tanya wouldn't abuse this privilege, yet the sheer amount of restrictions put on her made her start regretting ever coming along.

 _Maybe I should've snuck out and leave on my terms-_

Blake instantly shut out that train of thought. It would've been incredibly selfish of her to just up and leave without even a goodbye to her family. She swore to be better than that, even though old habits did die hard...

Despite the current situation being better overall than the alternative, in some facets at least, it didn't mean she had to be satisfied with being under constant supervision.

"Is this really necessary? And don't give me this 'it's for your own good' nonsense; I-" Blake tried to argue but Tanya shot her down quickly.

" _But it is!_ Just look at yourself; you're so thin that whoever sees you like this might think you're suffering from _anorexia_ or something! And you think you can defend yourself in this state? Imagine you got attacked by something or someone; _you'd be fucked_ , plain and simple!" Blake was taken aback by the bluntness of the fencer's statement. "If you think I'll let you do as you please and thus give you a chance to wander off on your own, then you're wrong. _Period!_ "

Blake blew a frustrated sigh, rubbing her forehead. "There's no changing your mind, is there?"

"Nope!" Tanya chirped. "We'll talk once you actually get better. But for now, you be a good patient and obey the good doctor otherwise I'll be forced to strap you down to the cot and you don't want that, do you?" Blake couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

"Fine." Blake finally capitulated. _Just go, leave me here to die of boredom..._ Only two or three hours since departing Kuo Kuana and she was already feeling restless, trapped in the cramped quarters on the gunboat's lower deck. The ship's navigator said the voyage to the coast of Anima would take three to four days, depending on the weather.

"You better take this seriously 'cause it's gonna be a long-ass walk to Mistral City after we reach Anima." Tanya warned.

The port of Altankhorin was the only larger settlement in southern Mistral and was mostly isolated from the rest of the Kingdom. No airport, no railway, and the only thing resembling public transportation were convoys dispatched _once a week,_ with no fixed schedule. They hardly had the time to wait for one of the convoys, which meant that after disembarking in Altankhorin, they'd most likely have to continue on foot... at least until they reached a settlement with a better connection to the capital city.

Blake was starting to see why her 'superiors' (oh how she loathed the word) insisted on her staying in her cabin and recovering. If it came to worst and the entire company would have to walk all the way to the capital, it was very unlikely she'd make the journey in her current state. They'd have to make frequent stops for her to rest for a bit and that would slow them down immensely. Considering what was happening in the world recently, it was pretty clear they couldn't afford any delays.

In all honesty, Blake still hated her current situation... but she didn't want to be a burden, either. Besides, Albain made it pretty clear to her earlier what would happen if she didn't fall in line.

"Well, if that's all, I need to see Albain. He insisted we needed to talk about 'setting down boundaries' or something. Better not keep him waiting."

Before Blake could utter a word in reply, The fencer was out of the room, slamming the door carelessly on her way out.

The Chieftain's daughter sighed in frustration as she sat on her cot, watching the waves rolling about lazily through the single porthole in her cabin. Cooped up in a small enclosed space, with a proverbial ball and chain on her leg; this was not how she imagined things to go. Then again, she should've been glad she even managed to convince her father to let her accompany her friends (or whatever they were after everything that happened lately) to Mistral. The small inconveniences she had to deal with were nothing compared to the chance to make things right after her colossal mess-up that was her departure from Beacon.

So why couldn't she just bring herself to accept it?

There was a soft knock on the door, only a couple minutes after her last visitor departed.

"It's open." Blake called out in a colorless voice, wondering just whom she'd be meeting now.

 _I sure hope it isn't the_ good doctor...

It was both relief and surprise when Ilia, of all people entered the cabin.

The chameleon Faunus used to be her childhood friend... and later became the part of everything she wanted to leave behind when she ran from White Fang. When they met again years later it almost ended in a fight to the death and now they were travelling on the same ship as allies, incredibly enough. Blake didn't know if gods existed, but if so, they must've had some twisted sense of humor to put them into this position.

Could the two of them go back to being more than allies out of necessity, like before the Fang's violent turn? Or would their ways part again after the mission in Mistral was completed?

There seemed to be no clear answer.

"Um, is this a bad time?"

Occupied by her thoughts, Blake failed to notice Ilia speaking to her.

"No, it's- I'm alright, really." She sputtered, feeling like a complete fool for having trouble forming a coherent response. "Is there something you need?"

Ilia looked at her with an unreadable expression. "Well, I don't really 'need' anything... I guess I wanted to talk, see how you were doing."

"Well, Hacksaw told me my wounds are healing up well." Blake noticed Ilia wince slightly at the response. "I should make a full recovery provided I stay out of combat."

"How long?"

"Definitely a week or two." In truth, Blake didn't really know herself but she had a suspicion her recovery would take more than that. Add in the necessary couple months of training to get back into shape and it would be fair to say that she would be the weakest part of team RWBY for quite a while... _if they even took her back._

Ilia turned away. "I'm sorry..."

And there it was again, the feeling of guilt and self-loathing over a decision that wasn't even hers. "We've been over this already, Ilia." Blake told her. "I made the decision to let the Talon catch me; I don't regret it, no matter the consequences." It was a lie; there were moments when she wished to die... but no one would ever learn of that.

"Blake, they planned to kill you; _they almost did!_ "

"But they didn't, did they?" Blake remarked sardonically. "Besides, it saved you an immediate execution for defection so it was worth it."

Ilia frowned. "And now we're heading right back into danger again, fighting for a human cause, and in the company of the people that were our enemies not so long ago!"

This remark prompted Blake to cast a sharp glare at her former comrade. "Don't tell me you're slipping back into the 'Faunus – good, human – bad' mindset, Amitola. Both peoples are very well capable of being monsters; I've seen it more times than I really wanted."

"You think I don't know that?" Ilia fired back. "But we didn't want war! All we wanted was respect, freedom, equality; all the things we had the right to but humans tried to keep from us!"

"Yet it didn't stop you from working with them." Though enraged on the inside, Blake managed to keep her voice calm.

"This isn't fair!" Ilia protested, her expression one of hurt.

"Life rarely is." Blake replied bitterly. "Khan and her mob of warmongers turned the Fang into something monstrous and I didn't realize it until it was almost too late. Before long, they started killing people; guilty, innocent, it didn't matter as long as they were humans, 'the enemy'... and now they're killing even their own... So you're right; _this isn't fair._ "

A tense silence fell, lasting for a few nerve-racking seconds until Ilia posed a simple question.

"Do you hate me?"

Now that was the question she didn't expect... which made the answer even more difficult.

"After Vale, I hated everyone in the Fang, or Red Talon, as they call themselves." Blake began, carefully measuring her words. "And when I saw you sport their uniform like if it was something to be proud of... I admit, I wanted you dead... _because you were with them._ Because I saw you as responsible for the bloodbath the Fang commited in Vale City."

"You know I didn't take part in that." Ilia said quietly, averting her gaze.

"I didn't back then. But even if I did... you were all guilty to me, the same way all humans were guilty to White Fang." Thinking back on her personal quest for revenge, Blake felt sick knowing she acted no differently than the villains she was hunting down. Hypocrisy at its finest, one of her more vicious, biting thoughts screamed out.

"Then why didn't you kill me?"

A good question, indeed. "I- I don't really know." Blake confessed, running a hand across her face. "Maybe it was simply because I knew you personally. That despite your allegiance I hoped that maybe, just maybe, you weren't completely rotten like all other Talon goons I killed... that there was some good left in you."

Ilia shook her head sadly. "I've done some terrible things since you left; I'm afraid there isn't much good left in me."

"You're wrong." Blake affirmed. "You could've ratted me out anytime when we worked together, could've left me to die when Hilen was about to have me slaughtered like an animal... But you didn't."

She thought maybe saying those words would make her old friend feel at least a little better about herself. _Don't we all make mistake?_ However, Ilia just scoffed.

"No, maybe that was just me being selfish. The thought of having to watch you die to that mob of zealots... it was killing me. I couldn't bear it." She averted her eyes. "I saved you 'cause I couldn't let you go."

… _What?_

Blake had no idea what this was about, or where it even came from. Her first thought was to simply let it be, that Ilia still felt guilty over her involvement with the Talon, hence the strange behavior. Alas, her curiosity got the better of her... and it had nothing to do with her feline attributes. Nothing at all.

"What are you talking about, Ilia?"

"I- It's" Ilia snapped her jaw shut. "It's nothing. Just- Forget what I said."

Blake was stunned by her sudden change in demeanor. Just moments ago, they were talking openly, without any pretense and platitudes... and suddenly she just clammed up for no apparent reason. She didn't like it one bit, and not only because it reminded her of herself. "Ilia, you know you can talk to me, right?"

Ilia blew a sharp breath. " _Please,_ Mr. Albain expects me on the bridge. I need to go."

"Ilia-"

" _Rest;_ you're going to need it." In the next moment, she was out of the door, leaving her former comrade alone in the cabin.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Blake lay down on her cot. Logically speaking, there was nothing that could explain Ilia's sudden change in demeanor... yet her gut said the girl was hiding something, and when she was cornered, she lashed out. Blake was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery... but how to accomplish that with Ilia getting so defensive? Her behavior reminded her of herself during the Beacon days, much to her irritation.

It seemed impossible before but Blake knew now this voyage was about to get even more difficult.

* * *

For the umpteenth time that day, Acting headmistress Goodwitch sighed, doing her best to fight off the exhaustion that was creeping up on her.

Another late evening at Beacon Academy. Most of the school's occupants were out on field missions, the only people still residing in the ruins of Vale City were a small garrison of Atlesian soldiers, the communications with other Kingdoms were still out... but the pile of paperwork didn't seem to get any smaller.

The professor reached for her cup of coffee and went to take a sip... only to find it empty. With an annoyed huff, she put it carelessly back on the table. She wasn't much of a coffee person but in the last couple months it turned out to be a necessity, the fuel that helped her make it through busy days like this.

In fact, she was so busy these days that she barely even thought of keeping her office clean, as per her habit. Looking away from the papers littered across her desk, Goodwitch frowned at the mess in her workplace. Folders, ledgers and books, usually neatly organized, were all over the place, as were her clothes. The trash bin was overflowing with refuse; since the cleaning staff fled the Academy during the early hours of the Grimm invasion, she was forced to take out the trash herself, something she forgot quite requently.

 _I've really let myself go lately, haven't I?_

Things were like this for quite a while, though it had been getting worse in the last couple days. The professor found herself distracted... ever since some of her best students departed on a mission that would've been left to professionals, under normal circumstances. True, desperate times call for desperate measures... but did it justify sending _children_ to fight an enemy that was well capable of killing them without batting an eye?

It might've been a necessary step in making sure those who orchestrated Vale city's destruction would be brought to justice... but Glynda knew her decision would come back to haunt her, in one way or another.

 _We're sending children to fight our battles... against someone so dangerous... how did it even come down to this? If anything ever happened to them-_

Her chain of thoughts got abruptly and violently cut by a loud bang as one of the open windows was slammed shut by an invisible force.

Professor Goodwitch showed no outward reaction apart from a slow blink. She was through too much in her life to be startled by something as trivial. There didn't seem to be any draft in the room that would cause the window to close which she found somewhat peculiar...

 _No matter..._ With an annoyed huff, the Acting headmistress left her table and went to check on the window. _It better not be broken because I have no idea where we could get a janitor around here at this time..._ Fortunately, the glass seemed to have survived the impact and the frame appeared undamaged. Goodwitch felt relieved and decided to leave the window shut.

She was about to turn around and head back to her workplace... but a chillingly familiar voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"So this is where the famous Glynda Goodwitch lives?" Male, resonant and filled with confidence... the boastful, annoying kind. "Hmph... I have three words to say: _What. A. Dump._ Thought a woman of your status would have some standards."

Goodwitch took a single glance at the intruder in her office... and her hand instantly fell for her weapon.

White coat, bowler hat, familiar cane, ginger hair, cocky attitude and fondness of trash-talking... there was only one person fitting the description that came to her mind.

" _Torchwick..._ " The professor seethed. _What the hell is he doing here? And how did he even get in my office?_ "I don't how you managed to survive that night but you made a grave mistake coming here!"

"Yeah, I'm starting to see that as well." The self-proclaimed criminal mastermind sniffed, as if completely oblivious to Goodwitch's fury. He didn't seem to have changed a bit since Vale City's fall. "I guess Beacon isn't as hospitable as people would have me believe."

 _I'm not in the mood for this nonsense..._ The professor watched her foe's every move like a hawk; her fingers clutching her weapon in a vice-like grip. If the man did anything out of line... _she would destroy him._ "You have exactly five seconds to explain yourself before I smear you all over the campus!"

Much to her anger and bewilderment, Torchwick flashed a smirk. "I know you're very well capable of that, old Ozpin's right hand and all that... but you'll find that would be a mistake."

Goodwitch was about to ask what he meant by that but in the next moment she felt something sharp poking at her ribs. She looked down and noticed a narrow rapier just about to bury itself into her side. Attached to its curved handle, there was a hand belonging to a diminutive woman (or was it a girl?) in a peculiar costume of white, pink and brown, staring back at her with mismatched eyes that seemed to change colors.

 _Of course, that girl..._ The professor cursed internally. She should've known the bastard would take his little sidekick with him; that little oversight got her in a truly unfavorable position. There was no way she could take Torchwick down without his pet assassin gutting her; the same way, he could've easily blown her apart while she was fighting the girl off. There was a small chance she could dispose of both of them without dying in the process.

It was even more confusing that Torchwick didn't move a muscle; instead of attacking he just stood there, as if waiting.

"What's the matter, Torchwick?" The professor spat out. "Lost your nerve? What's stopping you from killing me?"

"Quit the attitude, you glorified typist," Torchwick sneered. "I'd gain nothing by offing you."

"Then why are you here?"

The crime lord chuckled. "Would it be so difficult to believe I came here to talk?" He glanced at her table. "By the way, I could really use some refreshments before we get down to business; no tea though, I hate that crap." With a single fluid motion, he swept the papers off the table without a care in the world. "See? All cleaned up; was that so hard?" When he saw the professor glaring holes in his skull, his smile fell a bit. "Too soon?"

"I'll ask again," Goodwitch practically growled. " _What the fuck do you want?_ "

"I already answered that question!" Torchwick exclaimed, throwing his hands up in feigned frustration. "Gee, do you really have to be so difficult?"

"You're not the one being held at swordpoint!"

"Hey, you can't blame me for protecting myself." He leaned his back against the now 'clean' table. "We're getting off track, though; I'm risking a lot by coming here so you'd do well to hear me out before throwing another hissy fit, alright?"

Goodwitch narrowed her eyes. "And why, pray tell, should I?"

"Because," Torchwick's demeanor changed. He was no longer smiling and his gaze was cold as ice. "I have an offer that you can't afford to refuse."

* * *

Author's note: _*speaks in Terminator voice* I'm back._

 _Yes, I am. It took a little hiatus because of both the writer's block and my first proper job keeping me busy but I'm writing again!_

 _I know this update is a little short but it's more a mix of short pieces rathen than a full chapter. That will come next month :-) Expect new developments, new troubles and new instances of messing with the canon!  
_

 _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)_____


	12. A2 C1) Deal with the devil

**Arc 2 – Journey**

Chapter 1 – Deal with the devil

" _I have an offer that you can't afford to refuse."_

Professor Goodwitch was starting to think she must've been more tired than she thought. How else to explain hearing such an audacious demand from that damnable arrogant _crook_ that snuck into Beacon campus with his midget henchwoman and held her hostage inside her own office? If it were any other day she would've easily handled both of them. However, she'd been forced to work overtime lately... and it left her worn out as hell.

No doubt Torchwick planned this ambush to the last detail. _No matter,_ the professor scoffed inwardly, _two can play the game._ Physical exhaustion didn't make her mind any less sharp; all she needed was time.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me, lady." Torchwick bit back, suddenly appearing rather weary himself. "You wouldn't believe the amount of bullshit I had to pull just to get here and honestly I'd be rather pissed if, after all the trouble we went through, you wouldn't spare a moment of your precious time to hear me out."

The multicolored girl on her left struggled to suppress a yawn. She did her best not to show it... but Goodwitch noticed anyway. So both of her assailants were tired for some reason; while it gave her better chances at taking them down, the logical part of her mind wanted to find out more about this entire situation. Why bother ambushing her while she was possibly at her weakest, just for a chat? Was it intentional or rather a coincidence? And what could possibly be so important that they'd risk getting caught or even killed trying to sneak into the academy?

"And what would possibly be so important that you'd need to share it with _me,_ of all people? You do realize I'm under obligation to detain both of you immediately, don't you?"

Neither Torchwick nor his bodyguard noticed Goodwitch sneak one of her hands towards a concealed pocket on her skirt which concealed a device with a button; if pressed, it would alert her colleagues about possible danger via their Scrolls. Better have a contingency in case things escalated somehow.

Torchwick scowled. "Yeah I get it, you Beacon folks are supposed to be the 'good guys,' 'protectors of the world' and all that rot... which is exactly why you should listen."

Once again, Goodwitch felt as if her hearing was failing her. Was that criminal scoundrel actually offering _aid,_ in his own peculiar fashion? Her first thought was to laugh at such a silly notion... but this whole encounter was strange to begin with. A lot of things, previously considered 'unthinkable,' were starting to enter the realm of 'possible' lately. What if Torchwick was being serious, for once?

There was just one thing that she wasn't able to figure out. "Why are you doing all this?"

The self-proclaimed criminal mastermind was silent for a couple minutes, as if processing the question. When he finally spoke, the usual smugness was absent from his voice. "Look, I didn't turn to crime 'cause I wanted to get rich quickly, or I wanted to get back at the assholes in power that screwed me in the past, or 'cause I get a kick out of bullying the little people, or whatever. My only goal in life is _survival_ ; nothing more, nothing less."

"Spare me your little sob story, Torchwick." Goodwitch snapped back, instantly feeling the edge of the bodyguards's blade pressing a little harder into her side. "I find it very hard to believe, given you've worked with Cinder and the Fang to destroy Vale City and kill thousands of innocent civilians!"

She expected him to be angry... but instead he laughed; an ugly, grating sound that chilled her to the bone. "You think I was completely fine with all that?" He asked rhetorically. "I admit, perhaps I did enjoy showing up that bloated prick Ironwood... but despite the popular opinion, I'm not a complete psychopath _._ Cinder, on the other hand... she was a real piece of work. I don't have many regrets but saddling up with her sure takes the top spot."

"Yet you worked with her." The professor pointed out.

"Hell yes I did, 'cause I didn't want to end up a smoldering pile of ash!" Torchwick snapped back. "When she first came to me I expected she wanted me to be her business partner, an equal; instead, she took over all my resources and forced me to do her bidding! She made me her _bitch_ and I fuckin' hated it, 'specially when I couldn't say a word out of line without risking fourth-degree burns!" Taking a few deep breaths, he continued speaking in a much calmer tone. "I worked with her 'cause I didn't have a choice. _That's. Fucking. It!_ "

Goodwitch grimaced at Torchwick's crass language. Cusswords aside, his side of story did correspond with whatever she knew of Cinder and her attitude, using manipulation as well as brute strength... assuming it was true, of course. There was no way to be certain until she knew more.

There was something else that captured her attention. " _Worked_ with her?"

Torchwick didn't seem willing to elaborate on that, though. "Let's say I saw what Cinder really was and I saw the people she associated herself with. Needless to say, I'd decided it was time to end our, ahem, _partnership_." He replied... and his trademark smirk came back. The professor didn't like it one bit. "But I've said enough already. Look, the one time I got fooled by a pretty face was bad enough; I'm not making the same mistake twice. I'm sure you've already figured out my offer and I'm only gonna say this – if you wanna hear more, I want something in return."

 _Of course,_ Goodwitch grimaced, _I shouldn't have expected anything else._ It would be unlike him to do the right thing with no strings attached... though what he could've possibly wanted was beyond her. He'd have no use for money in the battered remains of Vale City. During the Grimm invasion he had essentially lost nigh all his resources and influence, not to mention he was currently one of the most wanted criminals in all world, especially Atlas. General Ironwood had a score to settle with him after hijacking one of his capital ships, wrecking half of his combat fleet, turning Atlesian androids against their masters and many other stunts.

"What is your price, Torchwick?" The professor asked, finding it harder to resist the urge to pulverize the smug bastard right there; even if it killed her... "Money? Clean slate? New identity? And should I get you the damn moon while I'm at it, too?!"

Torchwick barked a sharp laugh. "Are you crazy? What the hell would I do with a planet that's been blown to pieces?" The laughter abruptly ceased and Goodwitch felt slightly disturbed by the sudden change in demeanor. Torchwick stared at her with a stony expression. "In all seriousness, though... I don't care about money or power or whatever, not anymore. Any resources or influence I had, I lost all of it when Cinder launched her attack against Vale. My days as the 'criminal mastermind' are over... Now I'm just a guy doing whatever it takes to survive in the world that's been going to shit. Which is exactly what brought me here, of all places."

Goodwitch narrowed her eyes. "Meaning?"

"This is the least likely place where they'd look for me."

So he was on the run; that seemed to be the obvious conclusion. That, in turn, begged the question: _by whom?_

"Look, if you think I'll assist you in evading authorities, then you must be out of your mi-"

Torchwick interrupted her mid-sentence. "You mean those jackasses in charge of the Kingdoms? Please... all they're good for is big talk and sitting around with their thumbs up their fat asses. No, the people that hunt me are far more dangerous and powerful than those clowns."

This was getting quite interesting... Goodwitch didn't plan on showing her curiosity openly. If Torchwick needed her help that badly which clearly was the case here despite his cocky, dismissive attitude, she needed to appear firm and uncompromising in order to coax more information out of him. It seemed to be working so far, which only proved he was desperate.

"And who would that be?" She asked simply.

"My former business partner and her... Mistress? Overboss? Whatever it is..." The former crime lord blew a frustrated breath. "Look, I have information that _I know_ you'd be interested in and you have a place where I could lay low until _they_ get tired of hounding me. See what I'm getting at?" He began performing exaggerated gestures as if he were talking to a little child. "Tit for tat? Quid pro quo? Roll my logs? Scratch my back and I'll scratch-"

"Alright, I understand! Now shut up already, for pity's sake!" The professor barked out, effectively silencing him. She could already feel an intense headache creeping up on her. Alas, that was nothing compared with the next problem; what to do with the criminal menace standing before her.

Common sense was telling her to throw the man and his diminutive bodyguard right behind the bars and leave him to Ironwood. Torchwick was an irredeemable recidivist responsible for numerous crimes ranging from theft to large-scale heists and as such he couldn't be trusted. The whole story about him being on the run from Cinder and whoever she worked for might very well have been a complete fabrication. And even if he was telling the truth after all... there was no telling he wouldn't double-cross them in the future.

Yes, taking him down and turning him over to Atlas seemed like the most sensible course of action... yet insticts were warning the professor against making rash decisions. His coming here didn't make any sense, even if he was working for Cinder. There was nothing to be gained from such gamble... unless he was indeed willing to exchange information for a refuge. Torchwick might've been an unrepentant scoundrel but by no means an idiot. Whatever he had to say must've been worth risking capture and subsequently years of jailtime. If his information pertained to their mysterious enemy, their identity, next plans or their true goals, then Goodwitch definitely wanted to know, especially if it could help her students who fought the fight of their lives out there, against the enemy of unknown potential.

And if Torchwick was indeed bluffing, just to prolong his miserable life, well... Even with his little sidekick he had no chance of taking on Beacon's whole teaching staff and surviving.

But was the prospect of learning very valuable information enough to outweigh working with a dangerous criminal and potentially betraying everything they stood and fought for?

Goodwitch still hesitated... much to Torchwick's chagrin.

"Come on, I haven't got all day... _or night!_ " The felon exclaimed, tapping impatiently his cane against the floor. "If you're not interested in what I have to offer just say the word and we'll be on our merry wa-"

Suddenly the door to the office slammed open... and the next series of events unfolded so rapidly that Goodwitch had trouble following.

First, there was a strange white and green blur that burst into the room, racing straight towards Torchwick who was left with absolute zero chance to react accordingly.

Then came the noise; a strange cacophony of sounds that vaguely resembled human's speech, only horribly garbled and virtually incomprehensible.

And finally, Torchwick was thrown against the table so forcefully that his cane ended up clattering away from his grip. Then the same invisible force hauled him up and spun him around until he faced Goodwitch again.

The whole spectacle lasted only few seconds... and when things went quiet again, the professor was astonished to see _doctor Oobleck_ holding Torchwick in a chokehold with his own cane across his neck.

Oobleck cast a glare at the multi-colored henchwoman who seemed just as stupefied as her 'hostage.' "Drop the blade lady or you won't like the consequences!"

Alas, surrender was something the lady in question wouldn't even consider. Her body tensed up, ready to spring into action... and her blade dug just a little deeper into her victim's side...

 _Enough is enough!_ Making use of her opponent's distraction, Goodwitch struck.

Torchwick's pet assassin had never even seen the blow until it connected with her head. Nothing serious but just enough to momentarily daze her.

With the offending blade gone, the professor drew on her Semblance and used it to lift the tiny woman in the air and effectively immobilize her. She could feel Torchwick's glare burn into her skulll as she let his bodyguard flail her limbs helplessly in the state of zero gravity.

Despite the threat being taken care of, Goodwitch felt no satisfaction at all. Her plan to get answers from Torchwick might've just ended a complete failure due to Oobleck's unexpected intervention. She didn't blame him, of course. He couldn't have known what was going on. The end result was still the same, though. If Torchwick seemed cooperative before, it may very well not be the case now after this surprise attack.

"Are you alright, Headmistress?" Doctor Oobleck questioned, slightly increasing the pressure on Torchwick's neck when he tried to struggle out of his hold. "I intervened as best as I could, given the situation."

"I'm alright, Bart. Thank you for asking." Goodwitch replied wearily. Her pride was the only thing that suffered; how Torchwick could've snuck into her office without her noticing, she didn't really understood.

"Glad to hear it; Ozpin's passing was heavy enough of a blow. We can't afford to lose you, too." The perpetually caffeinated professor smiled. "Now, I wonder what to do with our little catch here; no operational detention facility in Vale city, as far as I know. Maybe Atlas would find-"

"Let's not be hasty here." Goodwitch interrupted him mid-sentence. There might still be a way to convince their captive to provide the assistance he offered earlier, even things had gotten somewhat complicated...

Oobleck tilted his head in confusion. "Care to explain?"

Goodwitch proceeded to retell the events that preceded their current situation; Torchwick sneaking into her office with his sidekick and taking her hostage, only to 'negotiate' providing critical info in exchange for a refuge. There was also his strange 'business relationship' with Cinder and other details that, while interesting, were of little value to them.

"I don't know, Glynda... Torchwick isn't known for being trustworthy." Oobleck frowned after listening to his superior's suggestion. And perhaps he was right; despite possibly being a fugitive from Cinder and her mob, Torchwick was still a dangerous criminal. Who was to say he wouldn't turn on them the moment someone else offered him a better deal? But his knowledge of their greatest enemy, their plans, their modus operandi... it was just too valuable to ignore. That is, if Torchwick was even willing to talk given the earlier events.

"I'm well aware, Bart." The headmistress sighed. "But we may not get such opportunity, _ever._ "

"It doesn't feel right."

"And allowing a bunch of children years from graduation to go off on a very dangerous mission felt right?" Goodwitch pointed out; the one thing she was ashamed of herself.

"Oh, you're getting your kids to fight your battles?" Torchwick cut in, struggling to speak with the cane pressing on his throat. "You must really be screwed."

It took some effort on her part not to show any reaction to his comment, especially when it hit so close to home. "That doesn't concern you, Torchwick. Besides, we would've never had to send them out so early hadn't you-"

Something hit her in the head, interrupting her mid-sentence. Just a glancing blow but it nearly sufficed to break her concentration and lose control over her telekinetic abilities. Goodwitch turned her head just in time to see Torchwick's pet assassin giving her an instantly recognizable and very rude gesture and sticking her tongue out while she floated upside down, caught in the telekinetic field. Glancing down momentarily, she saw a pink frilled parasol with its handle missing at her feet.

"She's telling you to put her down, by the way!" Torchwick called out. "Among some other things I'd rather not mention..."

"Out of the question!" Oobleck snapped back. "We know better than to let a psychotic serial killer loose!"

"Oh she won't do anything... _if I tell her to._ " Despite the unenviable position he was in, Torchwick smirked. "You see, I'm about the only person in the world Neo respects and even then she's quite a handful. If something really pisses her off she goes on a rampage... and I'm not sure even I could stop her."

Goodwitch scoffed at the not-so-subtle threat. "I'm more than capable of handling one irritable child." As if to prove her point, she began focusing her Semblance to rotate 'Neo' mid-air. Unbeknownst to her, Neo began struggling even harder to free herself, casting a furious glare at her captor.

"Not after you've poked fun at her height; she hates when people do that, by the way." Torchwick observed with feigned worry. "I know you can easily hold her back with those fancy powers of yours... but what you're gonna do once you get tired, _teach_?"

"I could simply knock her out before fatigue overcomes me." The headmistress proposed... and noticed Torchwick's smirk fell instantly. Could this Neo possibly be more than just a simple bodyguard?

"Okay, let's not be hasty here, right?" He pleaded, surprising everyone with his change of tune. "I did say I was gonna tell you everything I know about Cinder and her posse, in exchange for someplace to lay low- and perhaps making me feel like a guest rather than a hostage – I'm sure we can talk this out! Besides, I know this whole matter with Mr. Zippy barging in unannounced is just a huge misunderstanding!" Oobleck and Goodwitch shared a puzzled look. "Just let me calm the little devil down a bit and we can get right to the negotiation; how's that sound?"

Finally easing up on the chokehold, Oobleck gave his superior a telling look, leaving the final decision to her.

Goodwitch hated being put in this position. Helping her cause by cooperating with a criminal; something she didn't see coming even in her wildest dreams. She still had second thoughts about making a deal with that man. But these were desperate times and, as much as she hated admitting it, in order to stop their foe from causing even more damage they'd have to start making some questionable decisions.

"Very well, then." Headmistress Goodwitch said wearily. "Get your, ahem, _bodyguard_ here in line and we'll talk."

 _The die is cast,_ she thought to herself. _Let's hope this won't come back to bite us._

* * *

About half an hour later, headmistress Goodwitch found herself sitting in one of the empty classrooms with her 'honored guests,' along with doctor Oobleck and other two witnesses.

The entire affair had to be kept under wraps until things were properly resolved so one wing of the academy had to be completely vacant; no one could see Beacon staff escorting a couple of well-known criminals throughout the premises with little to no safety measures. True, they did surrender their weapons after a fair amount of coaxing... but people like them didn't need weapons to kill.

Luckily, they managed to move to their destination without being seen by fellow staff members or, God forbid, the few students on the campus; they wouldn't understand what was at stake.

Those children didn't even realize that their position was even more precarious than it appeared.

Back in the present, Torchwick seemed more than just a little uncomfortable as and Neo sat in the classroom surrounded by his 'hosts,' their chairs arranged into a semi-circle around him. It was good seeing him squirm a bit, Goodwitch supposed. He needed to know this wasn't a cordial chat, that he was bargaining for his freedom; that knowledge should motivate him to make this worth their time. Neo, on the other hand, sulked ever since being set free, casting the headmistress nasty glares every now and then. It took a surprising amount of effort on Torchwick's part to talk her down from murdering everyone in the room after Goodwitch finally freed her from her Semblance's hold. If she were to guess, being incapacitated so easily after only a momentary distraction must've been a huge blow to her ego. At least Torchwick wasn't lying when he said Neo would obey him, even if the couple minutes before he managed to convince her to stand down was easily one of the tensest moments in her life...

"So, you got us all here, just like you wanted." Goodwitch said officially. "Now, your part is to make it worth our time."

Torchwick leaned back in his chair, trying to appear casual. "So it's time to 'show my hand,' as they say." He said only with the slightest tremble in his voice. "And I've been dealt some pretty good cards here, if I can say so myself."

"Please, cease wasting our time and get to the point." A booming voice sounded to her far left.

Professor Goodwitch glanced at the other two witnesses besides herself and doctor Oobleck.

Professor Peter Port leaned forward, scowling so heavily his eyes almost disappeared under his bushy eyebrows. The man even brought his blunder-axe to this negotiation to 'show our gracious host the full gravity of his situation,' as he put it. And it seemed to work so far, at least on Torchwick for Neo didn't at all appear affected by his presence.

The other member sitting on far right wasn't a full member of Beacon's teaching staff but he quite frequently worked with them as a 'field instructor.'

Wylder Weston hadn's said a word since entering the room. A native to Vacuo, he gave the impression of someone who saw pretty much everything in his life; tall, rather thin frame, black cropped hair, dark eyes, sharp-featured weather-beaten face with sideburns running along his jaw and connecting to a moustache. He wore a long dirtied deep blue coat reaching almost to his knees, its buttons undone and showing a checked red shirt and a deep crimson bandanna around the neck, dark brown pants with leather pads on the knees and shins and steel-toed leather boots with spurs. He too brought his weapons to the talks; a custom revolver with a large drum holding ten rounds and a cavalry-style sword with an ejectable spike hidden inside the blade. Both weapons were on full display, hanging on a thick belt on his waist.

Doing his best to ignore the two fully armed men, Torchwick cleared his throat and continued. "Right... Ahem, let's get down to business, then. First off, I've already told the Headmistress here I didn't work with Cinder on my own volition- Well to be precise, I did at first but by the time I already realized what her aims were it was way too late to back out. Not without a significant hazard to my life, at least... and I very much prefer to live, let me be honest with you."

"Yeah, so you're only lookin' out for yerself, we've gathered that." Weston spoke in a pronounced accent, drawing out wovels. "What I don't get is: why the sudden change o' mind?"

"First, I gotta correct you there, friend-"

"I ain't yer friend, Torchwick."

"Whatever," Torchwick shot back without missing a beat, pointedly ignoring Weston's scowl. "There's a few special people I look out for, too." Neo finally stopped frowning for a moment when he patted her shoulder. "And secondly, I didn't come to you simply because I decided to, ahem, _change my evil ways._ " The cocky smirk disappeared from his face. "I'm a selfish piece of shit and I'll be the first to admit it. I'm in the crime business to survive; not because of greed, or revenge, or ambition or simply 'cause I'm some sorta loony. Working with Cinder sucked, big time; she treated me like I was some goddamn servant of hers... but I put up with her and those annoying minions that kept following her around because I thought it was my best shot at survival. They looked like the winning side in this shadow war from where I was standing."

Goodwitch gritted her teeth. It took every ounce of her self-control not to lash out at this miserable pile of human garbage that sat before her. Hearing him talk so unapologetically about his part in Cinder's insane plot of mass murder made her start regretting cutting the deal with him.

 _God, what was I thinking?_

"If so then, given the nature of your relationship with Cinder, you should've known she'd dispose of you the moment you outlived your usefulness." Oobleck was quick to point out.

"I know, believe you me. I realized it the moment she left that green-haired girl to get arrested after she messed up her part in rigging the Tournament. I guess being a kiss-ass only gets you so far, huh?" Torchwick chuckled to himself. His laughter died away when he noticed his interrogators fixing him with an icy look. "Oh, you don't know? Sustrai always sucked up to Cinder so much it was painful to watch... ah, nevermind. Anyway, I knew that at some point Cinder would try and devise some clever way of getting rid of me; she didn't look all that happy to see me survive the monster invasion in Vale. So while suffering through being just a little tool in her schemes I started laying down plans on my own... but I had to put that on hold the moment I saw the rest of her posse."

 _Now we're finally getting somewhere,_ Goodwitch thought wryly.

"What can you tell us about this... _posse_?"

"First off, they're all a bunch of arrogant assholes, each in their own special way." Torchwick answered readily. "But you know what the real kicker is? Cinder ain't even their leader; despite all her domineering attitude she's just a pawn. The real boss, the master of puppets is... I don't even know what the hell she is but they call her _Salem._ "

For some strange reason, Goodwitch felt a chill run down her back accompanied by the nagging feeling she should've known that name though she wasn't sure why.

"Who is this 'Salem' character?" Oobleck pressed. "And what do you mean, you're not sure what she is?"

Torchwick ran one of his hands over his face. "Look, I only saw her a couple times and she personally didn't say a word to me. But from what I've gathered, she's like the master of all Grimm; can command them, can even create them. Hell, I even saw one of them spawn out of this huge puddle of some black liquid." The crime boss shuddered. "I've seen some freaky shit in my life but this definitely took the cake."

"The way you talk 'bout her suggests she's a woman." Weston pointed out. "But you don' know what she is?"

Torchwick nodded. "Yeah, she looks like an end result of interbreeding between human and Grimm." _Now there's the mental image I definitely didn't want to see,_ Goodwitch recoiled in disgust at the crass comparison. "But seriously, she was freaking me out; every time I looked at her I felt like a little lamb about to get gobbled down by a wolf."

"A sentient being that is able to command the Grimm?" Port whispered. "Not even in my wildest dreams I would have guessed it to be true."

"We seem to forget about the one most important thing." The headmistress stated. "It's all too obvious that Salem is bad news. But one thing we don't know – what are her goals? And why?"

"She commands an army of monsters that attack and devour people; that's bad enough in itself." Torchwick cut in. "I don't know what she's really after; no one's been telling me a damn thing. But my gut says we're all gonna suffer."

That was... disappointing. Goodwitch expected something better than just a wild speculation. But whatever Salem's aim was, it was too obvious that people of Remnant were the target. Still, she could coax some more info from him. "Can you tell us more about the people she associates herself with?"

"Well, you already know Cinder... She was an arrogant bitch when I met her but after her success in Vale she's really lost her marbles." Torchwick sneered. "Thinks she's the second coming of God; yeah I know she has powers unlike anything in the world but still. And she seems to have a grudge against your kids, especially Little Red."

Goodwitch could feel her blood run cold. "What do you mean?"

"I don't really know what happened during the attack on Vale but she was blind for a couple months after coming back from the battle." The crime boss explained. "She did recover and now that Salem's been teaching her to be even more lethal, all she can think of is annihilating every Hunter in training she comes across."

Once again, the headmistress felt a pang of guilt over sending her students off on that cursed mission. If any of them died... she would never forgive herself.

"Qrow will not let any harm come to them, don't you worry." Port said reassuringly.

"I heard 'em mention this 'Qrow' guy, by the way." Torchwick interjected. "He must be really good if they consider him a threat."

"One of our very best." Oobleck concurred. "Though, you were speaking about Salem's associates?"

"Oh right, she has agents all over the world from what I've heard though I didn't get the chance to meet them in person. But I know at least three that answer directly to Salem." Torchwick replied. "First, you have Arthur Watts, a scientist formerly from Atlesian R&D. A cocky prick that looks down on pretty much everyone else except Salem. They say he made the virus we used to hack into Beacon's and Atlas' network. Then there's Tyrian, a scorpion Faunus and a pure freak of nature." His face contorted in disgust. "If there was a personification of insanity, he would be it; the guy even makes Cinder look sane in comparison and that's saying something. All he can think of is killing, in the bloodiest, goriest manner possible. If I were you I'd tell your Hunters to watch out for that guy; I've seen the guy tear an Ursa apart with his bare hands. That should tell volumes about how powerful an dangerous he is."

"I'll keep an eye out." Weston grunted, fingering the grip of his revolver.

"And the last one?" Oobleck questioned.

"You mean Hazel Reinart? He's about the only relatively normal person in the group... or at least as normal as an 8 feet tall brick shithouse can be. To the point where I was wondering why he was even there. But later on I found out he has some serious grudge against Ozpin. Flew into rage every time somebody dropped his name. Last I know he was still sticking around Salem; don't really know why since Cinder kept saying she killed the old man... but perhaps there's something I'm missing?"

The interrogators shared an unsettled look.

"Could this be true? Could Oz truly be alive?" Port questioned.

"Well, we never found his body." In all honesty, as much as she wished otherwise, Goodwitch didn't believe Oz could've survived his encounter with Cinder. As experienced in combat as he was, he couldn't really match a Fall Maiden in her full power.

"She could've blasted 'im apart." Weston suggested. "That way there'd be no corpse left to bury."

"I think we need to accept that Ozpin is not coming back." Oobleck said somberly before turning back to Torchwick. "What boggles my mind is why people would willingly collaborate with someone who threatens the very world we live in? I could understand why Tyrian would work with Salem, perhaps even Cinder... but Reinart and Watts? What could they possibly hope to gain from such folly?"

"Hell if I know; I guess people have to be a little fucked up in the head to throw their lot in with her." Torchwick shrugged. "But she gotta have lured them in somehow, like those old fairytales about the devil that gives people what they want in exchange for life of servitude... if you believe in that sorta thing. Cinder wanted power – Salem gave it to her. Reinart wanted to pick a bone with Ozpin – she gave him the chance. Tyrian wanted mayhem and bloodshed – the Queen of Grimm would have plenty of that in store. I honestly dunno what Watts was after but I'll bet to him it was worth cutting a deal with the devil."

"Appealing to people's desires – mighty clever. When you want something really bad and there's an opportunity to have it instantly you'll just go for it, consequences be damned." Weston mused. "I just wonder how they have the stomach to work for Salem after they see her for what she really is."

"Maybe they just don't."

Torchwick squirmed in discomfort when Goodwitch and her coworkers fixed him with incredulous looks, as if he just said something incredibly foolish. "Listen, I've been to Salem's hideout – multiple times – and that place was creeping me out. Now I don't mean it being smack in the middle of a lifeless wasteland crawling with Grimm, or the fact the only way in is some sort of portal that only she can control. It was the air of that place; I felt all the time like if walls were pressing down on me or I was being constantly watched."

"Evil lairs tend to have that kinda effect on a person." Weston drawled sardonically. "What's your point?"

Torchwick scowled. "You don't get it; it felt like the place was actively messing with people's heads. How else could they stand being in that... _dump?_ I was on edge all the time and was having... conflicting thoughts. At first I did my damnedest to avoid Salem whenever I could; didn't trust her, couldn't even stand looking at her. But as time went by this... apprehension lessened; I couldn't help it but feel drawn to her somewhat despite knowing what she was really like. And the worst part? Those thoughts weren't even mine to begin with, I just knew, don't ask me how." He let out a shuddering breath. "It got worse later on. Lethargy, mood swings, occasional bouts of rage; if I didn't know any better I would've said I was going nuts."

"So you're suggesting Salem's hideout somehow influences the minds of its inhabitants?" Oobleck intoned.

"Could be the place, could be Salem herself; it makes no difference. People there become compliant, easy, and later on nothing more than puppets. Look at Watts; an egghead like him should know how dangerous Salem is yet he follows her around like a loyal dog. Hell, that psycho Tyrian idolizes her!" Torchwick snapped back. "I took every chance to go out on a field mission, anything to get away from that place... from _her._ Even if it meant doing menial tasks fit for a lowly servant."

"You ever thought of runnin' away?" Weston drawled, twirling his moustache.

"More than once, believe you me. But I didn't have the guts for it; who knows what they'd do to me if they got wind of what I was up to? So I chose to bide my time and scope things out before making a run for it. But then..." Torchwick suddenly broke off, fixing his gaze at the floor.

"Then _what?_ " Goodwitch explained impatiently.

"One day, one of them unexplained fits of rage came over me, I- _I hit Neo._ " With slouched shoulders and voice barely above a whisper, Torchwick looked truly miserable. "Kept beating her until she was barely conscious; don't even know how it happened – that girl could kick my ass without trying, for fuck's sake!" When he looked up again, there was a haunted look in his eyes. "When I snapped out of it and realized what I did, I knew I had to get away, the first chance I got. I- _We_ got lucky. Salem sent me to Mistral to recruit some hapless meatheads for her cause. Of course, I never went; I grabbed Neo and ran the fuck outta here. Didn't look back once."

A long moment of silence fell until doctor Oobleck broke it with a simple question. "Is that why you left? Because whatever power Salem possesses started to overcome you?"

The former gangster nodded tersely. "Because of Salem I hurt one of the very few people I care about; if I stayed any longer, it would happen again. I'm supposed to make _my own_ decisions, for better or worse, and I won't let anyone take that from me."

"Wait a moment," Port spoke up. "How can you be so sure you haven't led the enemy right here, to Beacon?"

"I'm no amateur, old-timer." Torchwick riposted. "I know how to cover my tracks. Besides, not one from Salem's glorified minions would give a shit about a lowly thief like me. I wasn't important to them. Right know, I just hope whatever info I have can help you stop, or even better, take out that Salem creature." His expression at that moment turned truly frightening. "'Cause it don't matter where we stand; _if_ _she wins, we all lose._ "

* * *

Author's note: _It can't be! Roman turning good?_

 _Hell no. He's still a selfish piece of shit by his own admission... Only now he's gotten his priorities set a little straighter._

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)____________


	13. A2 C2) The frontier

**Arc 2 – Journey**

Chapter 2 – The frontier

Day three of the voyage to Anima and the port town of Altankhorin...

The gunboat was steaming on at full speed making over twenty knots per hour yet there was no land in city. Not even a hint the small vessel might be approaching its destination. Despite the navigator's assurances that the gunboat was _at least_ half-way to reaching the coast of Anima, the mood among the crew was slowly but steadily growing worse.

Nobody should've been surprised, in hindsight. The core of the problem was there were two groups of people that couldn't have been any more different, especially in social standing and personal beliefs. On one side, there was over two dozens of Faunus, each of them with their own grudges against humankind after decades of being treated as lesser people; some of them being White Fang veterans who chose to actively fight their oppressors... at least until the thoughts of revenge and superiority eventually prevailed over the idea of equality which drove the Fang apart and its fractions turned on one another, one at the time.

On the other side, there were the students of Beacon Academy, forced way too early into the perilous life of the fully trained Hunters. They were taught and trained to protect Remnant's society from Darkness, whether it came from Grimm... or men. This duty brought them into the conflict with the Fang on multiple occasions... and the self-proclaimed protectors of Faunus-kind didn't forget that.

Combine all that with the monotonous, dull daily routine, tight spaces of the uncomfortable fighting ship where it was impossible for these two disparate groups to avoid one another, and the knowledge of an inevitable fight in Mistral where Red Talon was gathering forces for another strike... All put together created a toxic atmosphere where tensions could easily escalate. In many ways it was like sitting on a keg of black powder while playing with matches; one stray spark and everything would go up in flames.

As the leaders of their respective groups, Tanya and Fennec Albain did their best to keep the peace aboard the ship yet it was no secret that neither of them trusted the other all that much. About the only thing they had in common was the enemy... and their hatred of the Talon easily outweighed their mutual distrust.

Not even that would be enough to stop fights from breaking out if they all remained stuck in this tub for too long... especially in the heat typical for the southern seas. Needless to say in the confined spaces of the gunboat built of steel which happened to be one of the best heat conductors, the high temperatures became barely tolerable.

At least both humans and Faunus were equally miserable in these conditions and it made them forget about their mutual suspicions, even if for only a couple hours.

Not that it was much of a relief...

The ship's clock displayed half past twelve.

The blistering heat had made staying in the lower decks nigh intolerable as the gunboat's metal hull heated up under the sun's harsh unyelding glare. Everyone seeked an opportunity to escape from the uncomfortably hot insides of the ship to the open space on the main deck... even if it got crowded up there as everyone on board had exactly the same idea. Nobody was used to this kind of heat, especially not the Hunters-in-training from Vale with its temperate climate.

Passing the crewmen taking shelter in the shadow of the gunboat's superstructure, Tanya walked towards the vessel's stern, wearing only shorts and a wrap-around top she bought back in Kuo Kuana. In these infernal conditions it was a necessity to wear as little clothing as possible; any more and she would've died of heatstroke. Despite seeing many others dressed in a similar fashion, Tanya didn't feel comfortable, not liking the kind of looks the others gave her as she walked by.

The suspicious glares were something she could kind of understand since humans weren't well liked by Faunus... even though she did think her team deserved some leniency after saving the Chieftain and his family during the Talon invasion. No, what really unsettled her was how some men leered at her, making her feel like a piece of meat rather than a person. She was more than capable to beat them into a pulp should they try something. Still, the dirty looks brought up some recent memories she would rather forget.

 _It doesn't matter_ , she kept telling herself. The bastard was dead and there were more important things requiring her attention.

The current situation aboard the gunboat was less than ideal.

The longer the voyage dragged on, the more restless Albain's warriors grew. It was no secret the Faunus weren't happy about travelling with a bunch of humans. Good thing Albain could keep his men under control as he was well respected even before the Fang's turn for the worse. Surprisingly, he turned out to be willing to cooperate even if he did tend to keep the humans at an arm's length. Still, Tanya couldn't help it but feel like he wasn't telling her everything. She doubted the man would turn on them later given he had his own score to settle with the Talon and she never pursued the issue. Yet even know she wondered what reason could he possibly have for keeping secrets.

Another issue was the last minute addition to the crew... and Tanya could already feel the incoming headache.

It wasn't like Blake was causing trouble aboard the gunboat. If anything, she was surprisingly compliant, at least at the moment; avoiding strenuous activities, following Doctor Hacksaw's instructions, resting properly... Alas, this was upset by her demeanor, with her being more acerbic and snippy than usual. In fact she was starting to slightly resemble Weiss while in her 'spoiled bratty princess' persona, as Roland pointed out once.

Nobody really knew what her problem was. Was it because she wasn't allowed a free reign aboard the ship, given her state of health? Or because there were two people to order her around, one of them being a friend (or was that too strong of a word)? Did she think of all this as a subtle way of picking on her or something?

Tanya found the last possibility particularly irritating.

Contrary to Blake's opinion, certainly didn't enjoy having to order her around and she _sure as hell_ didn't bully her or anything like that. Were it Tanya's choice, the girl would've never set foot on this ship because after the nightmarish time spent in Talon captivity she was in no shape to fight. However, events took a different turn altogether and she was forced to play with the cards she was dealt. Which meant she and Albain had to make sure she would recover to full health as quickly as possible. And while her condition was improving, it just wasn't fast enough. If it came down to a fight, somebody would have to protect Blake as the weakest member of the crew which in turn meant fewer people could fight the enemy.

In short, Blake's presence could potentially put everyone in danger. But she didn't seem aware of that, nor did she appreciate the effort that went into making sure she would recover.

And she would never talk to them about her concerns, choosing to sulk like a petulant child instead. To consider that back in the 'good old days' she was usually the sensible one...

All in all, Tanya was starting to regret taking Blake along with them. For all their effort, she suddenly became the bad guy here...

Tanya did her best to ignore the painful feel of the main deck's sun-baked floor burning against her bare feet. Fortunately, she was nearing her destination.

The rest of her team was lounging at the stern part of the ship, sitting on a couple empty crates the crew members put there as makeshift seats. All of them were in a similar state of undress as she was, wearing only shorts. Curiously enough, Roland had a towel draped over his cybernetic arm.

"I see you're having a sun tan, boys?" Tanya said nonchalantly as she approached, sitting down on a free spot next to Emery.

"What else is there to do for us?" Roland drawled. "We got only two choices; get roasted up here or in the lower decks. At least here we got a bit of a wind."

As the gunboat steamed ahead a steady stream of air flowed along the length of the ship, providing a relief from the blistering heat; only marginal yet it still made difference.

"Too bad we didn't think to bring a sunscreen with us." Nicolaus remarked. "But then again it probably would get destroyed with most of our stuff anyway."

"Besides, no one could've known we'd have the time for catching some rays." The rifleman pointed out. "Really, this looks more like a casual trip than a critical mission."

True, about the only thing reminding her of their true purpose were the infrequent meetings with Albain from which she learned nothing valuable so far. Since there wasn't a proper navigator among the crewmen, they didn't even know where exactly they were at this moment... and how much longer it would take to arrive to the coast of Anima.

"You better enjoy it while you can because knowing our luck, things are gonna go sideways really soon. By the way," Tanya gestured to the fabric covering Roland's right arm. "What's up with the towel?"

Though appearing puzzled for a moment, the gunman caught on quickly. "You mean this? You know the arm's made of metal, right? And that metal gets hot as shit when sitting in a direct sun? It might mess up the... circuits or whatever keeps this thing moving. Doc said the arm's waterproof but he didn't mention anything 'bout it being _heat-proof..._ Reminds me to ask him the next time we meet. If we meet."

"He's Atlesian, right? If we're lucky we just might wind up there, too." Nicolaus commented, sounding unenthused by the prospect. "A freezing cold wasteland, bursting with egotistical unlikeable _assholes_ who only care about themselves and how much more money they can make off of the little people's misery... what's there not to like?"

No one missed the bite in his voice. But could anyone blame him? After all, Atlas had the reputation of being a dictatorship run by army where people thought they were better than the rest of the world; the rich and privileged ones, anyway. The ordinary people faced the same problems like anywhere else in the world, except the authorities couldn't give a damn about them. As for the Faunus... there was a reason why White Fang was most active in Mistral.

"I'll say it again; you've seen our luck." Tanya chuckled. "We just might end up there too after we're done dealing with the mess in Mistral."

"Oh joy, I can't wait." Roland intoned sarcastically.

"Maybe we won't have to." Emery butted in. "I mean, Atlas has the biggest army in the world, right? Surely they can beat back Talon if they try something."

"Big-ass army sure didn't help 'em in Vale." Tanya scoffed. As far as she knew, Atlas was still reeling from its collosal failure in Vale. "But sure, we can hope so. Anyway, how's travelling with our lovely new comrades been like so far?"

The change of topic didn't seem to improve the overall mood, though. "You want an honest opinion, Tan? I don't think some of them realize we helped keep the Talon from rolling over 'em." Roland frowned. "Personally I met, like four, five decent people; everyone else has been a complete dick to me. And here I thought being assholes to other races was a human thing."

At least the joke earned a few chuckles.

"I don't like it either but given our past I suppose we shouldn't be so surprised." Nicolaus pointed out. "Not to mention the fact humans of all people helped them fend off the horde of genocidal maniacs; that must be tough for them to swallow."

"So I get shit from them just because they were proven wrong about all humans being racist assholes? That makes sense." Roland deadpanned.

"Oh? And would you act differently if you were in their-"

"Look Nick," The rifleman interrupted the fox Faunus. "I get what you're saying. But that doesn't mean I have to just accept it. _Or like it._ "

"Doesn't feel good, does it? Now imagine you have to deal with the same kind of scorn every day, your entire life from the cradle to the grave." Nicolaus continued, not one to be deterred easily. "It's exactly why so many of my people joined White Fang."

"I know the history, god-damnit!" Roland groaned in irritation. "I don't want to get into this whole 'who has it worse' argument; it's hardly gonna matter if Talon wins."

Tanya knew this was the right moment to step in before things spiraled out of control... not that she expected her teammates to start fighting each other. "Guys, I'm sure we're all gonna bond wonderfully over beating the snot out of them Talon sons-a-bitches. What could possibly unite divided people better than a common enemy?"

"We already have a common enemy: the Grimm. Yet it didn't stop us from turning on each other."

All four of them turned around abruptly, startled by the voice that sounded right behind them. None of them even noticed the speaker approach.

Grey and white robe and conspicuous, unusually large canine ears; it wasn't difficult to figure out who the newcomer was.

"Mr. Albain," Roland greeted the other leader of the expedition to Mistral after recovering from the initial shock. "Didn't think anyone from your company would ever want to hang out with us."

Tanya shot him a cross look, not missing the bite in his voice. _Don't antagonize him, idiot._ Thankfully, the gunman got the message.

"I was taking a walk along the main deck, as I do every day." Albain replied calmly. "And as for my men's reluctance to socialize, I think you know the reason as evidenced by your conversation."

Of course... the four of them seemed to collectively forget that Faunus usually have very acute senses.

"With all due respect," Roland stated in a flat voice. "If your people chose to ignore us it's their decision. But I don't wanna hear a thing about us making no effort to try and connect with yours; that would be a barefaced lie."

If Albain was annoyed by his attitude, he didn't show in any way. "I can assure you that none in my company have anything against yours personally. The wariness is simply a result of decades of toxic, unstable relations between our peoples. I have every reason to think that humans would behave the same way in this situation."

 _This kinda vicious circle has to be broken sometime..._ Tanya didn't voice the thought however, not interested in starting another argument on human-Faunus history. It would always end the same anyways; Faunus pinning all the blame on humans and vice versa. Instead, she asked "Why are you here? No offense but I doubt you simply dropped by to lecture us on the history we're all painfully familiar with."

Albain raised an eyebrow at that, in a way that almost seemed... mocking. For a brief moment, Tanya had to fight the urge to smack that grimace off his face. Maybe the Faunus were getting the short end of the stick in almost any situation, for so many years. But the idea that humans couldn't have ever known suffering just because they had generally better lives... After the downfall of Vale City, it couldn't have been more insulting. Her Dad, executed by a fanaticized Faunus mob, would've rolled in his grave. And so would Ellie.

Thankfully the former Fang emmisary refrained from making any patronizing remarks. "I found myself pondering over the most recent events, wondering why a bunch of students out of a disgraced combat school," Tanya clenched her fists involuntarily. "would appear in our land and help turn the tide in the battle against relentless agressors, ones that regrettably were our own kin. Don't get the wrong idea; your assistance is and will be appreciated. The only thing in question are the motives of the people that sent you here."

"We're chasing a criminal who has enough smarts and allies to start another war." Emery exclaimed. "Haven't we told you already?"

"I suppose you did." Albain drawled. "But remember; those in power rarely feel the need to tell the whole truth. Whether because of the 'greater good' or selfish motives, it doesn't matter."

Roland narrowed his eyes. "Goodwitch would've never lied to us."

"No she wouldn't... not intentionally, anyway. Her boss, on the other hand..." His mouth twitched in a faint smirk as he beheld the students' puzzled expressions. "I'm well aware of the late Headmaster Ozpin's reputation; a strange individual, indeed. Always so well-informed but not very inclined to share his sources; one of the most influential figures in the fight against darkness... yet he himself is guilty of taking some questionable actions that very few people know about. People like him usually have their own fair share of secrets."

"Where are you going with this, Albain?" Tanya didn't like the cryptic tone of the whole conversation.

"Let's assume you somehow manage to stop the Talon from taking over White Fang's Mistral fraction. Let us, for a moment, pretend that you won. Are you truly convinced that your role in this story will be over in that moment? That you all will get to go back home and get on with your lives?"

For the first couple moments, Tanya couldn't come up with a response and neither could her teammates. Albain brought up a fair point; their mission was to stop Talon in Menagerie and help Qrow and co. take down Cinder and her posse in Mistral. What would happen afterwards, assuming they all lived through that adventure, was anyone's guess.

How great would it be if the great chase after Cinder and her minions ended in Mistral, preferably with the Red witch in pieces... Alas the world didn't work like that. Even if somehow they accomplished the difficult task of taking Cinder down for good, the Talon and its supporters would still remain the problem. Somebody would have to dismantle their genocidal anti-human crusade, not to mention all the consequences their action had caused.

And that was all simply assuming Cinder was acting on her own, that there was nobody else assisting... or commanding her. Or that she wouldn't find another under-handed way of escaping justice.

So many possibilities and so few of them positive...

Tanya knew damn well that their plan was far from perfect. But the more she thought about it the more apparent it became how woefully unprepared her team really was. They had barely arrived to Menagerie when their mission almost got derailed; it was only thanks to Chieftain Belladonna's assistance that they weren't stuck on Menagerie for goodness knows how long. In their haste to get back at Cinder they failed to consider possible dangers, back-up plans... or, as Albain pointed out, the next goal, assuming they eliminated Cinder.

The man really did hit the nail on the head; aside from killing Cinder, they had no other plan. Whatever they would do next now depended on Qrow and team JRRNNY, on whatever they found out about their enemy and the next step in whatever their grand scheme was.

"Our goal is taking down Cinder Fall and her mob, by any means we deem fit." It was a rather poor attempt at saving their face, Tanya had to admit. Though it did describe the nature of their mission. "We have to work with whatever we have at our disposal; a fixed schedule or anything like that would only hinder us. What happens next... that depends on what our comrades in Mistral find out."

"I see," Albain intoned. "And your comrades are also as... young as you are?" 'Young' was really just a polite way of saying 'green,' they all made the connection. The man would probably lose it if he knew that one of the leaders of the other team only recently turned sixteen... but Tanya wasn't about to tell him that.

"Our friends are a force to be reckoned with, I can assure you." Nicolaus chimed in. "And they're not alone; Qrow Branwen himself accompanies them."

The Faunus leader frowned slightly. "I'm familiar with the name... Branwen's infamous for his combat prowess, as well as the fact that trouble seems to dog his every step. Not to mention his, ahem, _unfortunate_ upbringing."

"What do you mean by that?" Roland questioned.

For once, Albain seemed taken aback by the response. "Has really none of you heard of the infamous Branwen clan?"

"Can't say that I have. Mind explaining that one to us?" For some reason Tanya felt she would regret ever asking that.

"Given you're from Vale, I shouldn't be surprised you don't know of them." Albain replied. "The Branwen clan is very well known all over Mistral... for all the wrong reasons; ask any citizen outside the major cities and they will tell you."

"So we're talking criminals?"

Albain almost scoffed at Nicolaus' question. "That is a severe understatement. We can't possibly compare some run-of-the-mill brigands to the Branwen clan; they're in a league of their own."

"That bad?" What could possibly be worse than a bunch of thieving, murdering bandits, Tanya thought as she voiced the question.

"There's a fundamental difference between simply taking what you need from those who worked hard to earn it... and terrorizing the villagers and townsfolk simply out of conviction that they are lesser people. So yes, I think Branwen clan truly is that bad, if not even worse." Albain said with a grim expression. "You see, the leaders of the clan all belong to the Branwen family; for most of their history they lived by one single principle... and that is 'might makes right.' Strength is about the only thing they respect. Those too weak to protect themselves are nothing in their eyes and usually are treated as such."

Dead silence fell, disturbed only by waves crashing against each other... until Roland spoke.

"Wow... that is fucked up."

The rifleman's simple statement reflected perfectly what everyone else thought.

 _So that's it? Simply being stronger than others gives me right to treat them like shit?_ This attitude seemed awfully reminiscent of stereotypical bullies, pushing other around solely because they thought to be above everyone else, and Tanya hated this. Whoever came up with this doctrine must've been one twisted individual.

"Has no one ever tried to stop them?" Nicolaus questioned.

"There were multiple attempts, alas none of them successful." Albain shook his head. "You see, their obsession with strength led them to recruit only the most capable individuals which made them into a very powerful group; not invincible, mind you yet still a force to be reckoned with, even despite their limited numbers. The Mistrali government tolerates them, if only because it's incapable of rooting them out."

"And you're saying that Qrow is related to them?" Tanya posed the dreaded question. Qrow might not be the most likeable of individuals but still he was an ally, and both Ruby and Yang seemed to adore him. It was difficult to imagine him being related to this... _scum._

"The last name is kind of a giveaway." There it was again, the patronizing tone in Albain's voice. "Not necessarily a close relative, but still. He might've defected from the clan at some point but that doesn't make dealing with him any safer. You see, one thing Branwen clan does not tolerate, aside from weakness, is disloyalty. I reckon the relationship between Qrow and his former 'family' are... strained at best."

Emery instantly understood the implication. "So those Branwen guys would attack him on sight? And our friends, as well?"

"It is very likely, yes."

"The sooner we get to Mistral the better." Roland frowned. "Preferably before those assholes find any of us."

"'Assholes' is the right word." Tanya snorted derisively. "The way I see it, they wouldn't pick a fight if there is even a slight chance they might lose."

Albain didn't seem to share her opinion. "I'd strongly advise against underestimating the Branwen clan. Their warriors aren't known for cowardice; in fact, you might attract their attention as they would likely perceive you as a challenge, if not outright a threat."

"So they use every possible excuse to attack people." Roland shook his head in bewilderment. "Great... just great."

"Not necessarily," Nicolaus butted in. "We'll be travelling in a large group so that might be enough to deter them. Still, it's best we travel quickly and don't linger in one place too long; don't give them time to set up some kind of trap."

"The wisest strategy would be evading their 'hunting grounds' altogether." Albain remarked. "But it seems you might not have a choice."

"Just one thing I'd like to ask before we continue talking this bright topic." Roland cut in, regarding the former emissary with a sharp look. "How come you know so much about Qrow and Branwen bandits? Or Ozpin or anything, really? We know how long it takes before news from the world reach Menagerie; hell, Chieftain Belladonna didn't even know about Vale City being destroyed until we told him! So why do you know so much?"

The gunner winced as Tanya elbowed him in the side. "This is not the time!" She hissed quietly; not that it was any use since Albain could hear a pin drop in a windstorm.

"I have nothing to hide; White Fang always had a good information network. Although we did suffer after the collapse of the CCT, most of our knowledge from before that has still remained relevant. It allowed our organization to survive in the face of ever-growing opposition. And now that information will help you achieve your goal of stopping Red Talon." While Albain's face remained impassive, Tanya caught a trace of something in his voice she couldn't quite place.

Regret? Bitterness?

It hardly mattered, as long as the man kept his word. Just because they had a common goal didn't mean they had to like each other, after all.

"Now, I'm going to excuse myself; I should check up on my own people, as well." Albain bowed slightly before turning to Tanya. "I'd like to also remind you of our meeting this evening; we're approaching the coast of Anima and I think it prudent to plan our actions carefully before proceeding. After all, the road to Haven Academy is long and treacherous."

 _Yes, that's what you said yesterday... and the day before that._

It was a good thing Albain reminded her of the meeting because it completely slipped her mind; perhaps the heat wave affected her more than she expected. "Right; I guess I'll see you at-" She paused. "Which hour did you say-"

Alas, Albain had already taken his leave. All she could do was watch his retreating figure. _Damn it._

Silence reigned for a while after this rather peculiar exchange... until Emery spoke up. "Anyone else found this weird?"

"Who didn't..." Roland muttered while everyone else murmured their agreements. "Flat out telling us his guys don't trust us even after everything we did for them is one thing. But then he went all cryptic on us, basically saying that Ozpin and co are shady creeps that use us to do their dirty work... I mean, you don't really believe that, do you?"

Nicolaus frowned heavily. "I don't but... There are signs that can tell that a person is lying, if you can recognize them. I noticed none such on Albain and I think at the very least he believes in what he told us."

"That's very well possible but it doesn't make it true!" The rifleman argued. "Why was he even telling us all that, anyway? Is it that he's trying to mess with us for some reason? Throw us off balance?"

"Even if he did lie to us, what would he gain by that? We're gunning against the same guys that attacked his homeland; the only sensible move for him is to work with us!" Emery pointed out. "Only thing he'd accomplish by back-stabbing us is screw himself over."

"What about you, Skipper? You're awfully quiet in there."

Tanya didn't reply at first as Roland's question interrupted her chain of thought. In truth, she too had been weirded out by the conversation with Albain. The fact the man still hadn't shed his reserved attitude towards his human allies rubbed her the wrong way. This was a joint operation, there was no room for suspicions and mistrust. On the other hand though, he was honest with them so far and, as Emery said, he was too well aware that any obstructions on his part would also harm his own people.

While not believing Albain lied to them, she did share Roland's sentiment; the man had too much knowledge on things that should've been restricted to a very small group of individuals. She didn't know just where he got the information but one thing was clear.

Even if they were supposed to be allies, she would have to watch our for him.

"I'm not about to go accusing anyone just yet." She finally replied. "If you do see or hear anything suspicious, we'll discuss it as a team first. Until then, let's go on about our usual routine but keep our guard up. I'll see how my meeting with Albain goes."

 _Hopefully I'll learn something useful._

* * *

 _Meanwhile in Mistral..._

A week. A whole, excrutiating week of crawling through the desolate hostile jungles of Anima, having to fend off monsters who thought them to be an easy snack, sleeping on the ground and putting up with the highly unpredictable weather that reached from scorching heat to heavy downpours that left them all soaked to the skin.

This was what Qrow and team JRRNNY had to deal with ever since the Atlesian crew dropped them off at Anima's western coast, hundreds of miles away from any civilization. This whole infernal week, the mood was on an all-time low and even the ever-peppy and happy Nora eventually ran out of energy... and optimism.

It was a relief beyond words when after days of absolute misery, Qrow and co. had finally happened upon a settlement.

One not destroyed by monsters or bandits that inhabited the outer provinces of Mistral... and one situated right on one of Mistral's most frequented roads; the first real stroke of luck in a long time. The moment the company entered through the town's main gate, Qrow decided they should take a rest for a day or two.

The students couldn't have been more grateful for that decision; weary from travelling and fighting through hordes of Grimm, clothes covered in filth, supplies almost gone... and most of all, having no idea where exactly they were. This place offered to rectify all those problems _and_ earn some quick Lien on the side by killing some monsters.

They spend the first hour walking around the town, looking for a place to stay and doing their best to ignore the suspicious looks from passers-by. Given their shaggy appearance, nobody could tell they were actually Hunters and not some vagabonds drifting from place to place doing Oum-knows -what for a living. Eventually they came across a weathered looking house with a sign that read 'Drunken Huntsman inn.'

Some of the students scoffed at the name; the place didn't really look like much and if it were their choice they would just keep looking. Alas, the tavern's name appealed to Qrow so much that he decided this would be the place to stay. Their displeasure couldn't have been more evident though it did lessen somewhat once they actually saw the interior of the dingy looking building.

The 'Drunken Huntsman,' as the tavern was called, looked much bettern on the inside than it did on the outside. The furniture and other furnishings were obviously properly maintained... not that Qrow would notice since his gaze was drawn to the bottles of liquor displayed on a wide rack above the bar counter.

The initial good impression was only slightly marred by the lukewarm welcome from the inn's staff and the patrons. Unlike Qrow, who didn't seem to care a whit, the students were acutely aware of the suspicious glares cast their way. Once Qrow dropped his name though, the barkeep suddenly became more forthcoming and so did his employees.

 _Sorry but there's only one room available right now,_ the proprietor told them. _Has only four beds so if you want it you'll have to share... or some of you would have to sleep on the floor._

They hardly cared, though. It beat another night of sleeping outside, with humid moss covered ground as a bed and treetops for a roof. As for having to share bed, Jaune and Pyrrha certainly took no issue with it, for obvious reasons, and neither did Nora and Ren. Yang seemed strangely pleased by the prospect of sharing a bed with her sister as, in her own words, it reminded of the 'sisterly bonding times when we were kids.' Ruby knew better though and was mentally preparing herself for relentless teasing. It still beat sharing a bed with Qrow; the stink of alcohol could wake up the dead.

As soon as the barkeep handed them the key, the young Hunters in training immediately started scrambling over each other to get the first shower. Qrow didn't join in as he was busy checking the tavern's selection of booze. Thankfully the building withstood the fight for the right of personal hygiene that took place and, miraculously enough, nothing got broken in the process.

For the rest of the day, members of team JRRNNY didn't see much of each other as they wandered around the town buying food, supplies or spare clothes. Qrow was taking care of the job hunt as people were more likely to take him seriously than they would a bunch of teenagers.

Several hours later, team JRRNNY met back in the Drunken Huntsman for dinner and to discuss the next move. The latter required Drunkle Qrow's presence and he was nowhere in sight.

"Where the hell is that guy?" Jaune complained, eyeing the large clock hanging above the bar. "We've been waiting here for over half an hour!"

"Do you think he ran into trouble on the way here?" Pyrrha voiced her concern only to be brushed off by Yang.

"Qrow? Please... knowing him he probably came across a liquor store or something. Chances are we're gonna have to go fetch him ourselves."

"Aw, that was mean." Nora remarked. "I thought you liked your uncle?"

"Of course we do, it's just... well, you saw what we have to put up with, right?"

"That we did." Ren said. "Don't think I've seen anyone drink as much and stay on their feet."

"He's had _a long time_ to practice _._ " Ruby quipped.

Pyrrha grimaced. "That can't be healthy."

"Neither is our profession but we're doing it anyway." Ren deadpanned, earning himself a few chuckles.

The front door suddenly flew open and Qrow stumbled inside. He was drunk but that was a normal occurrence for him.

"Well, speak of the devil..." Jaune whispered.

Without missing a beat, Qrow made a beeline to the table where the students were sitting. One of the patrons rose from his table as Branwen passed his table and left the inn, muttering something about 'filthy drunks.'

Ignoring the pointed stares from other patrons, Qrow sat down heavily on the only free chair at team JRRNNY's table. At this point, the students were entirely used to the smell of alcohol that emanated from him. "So, how was your trip to the spirits-land?" Yang asked jokingly, earning a couple chuckles.

"Can it, Yang. This ain't the time for jokes." Came the rather abrasive response, very atypical of him. "We made it to the civilization without anyone getting eaten along the way; that's great and all but it means the real trouble starts _now._ "

"What do you mean by that?" Jaune asked, legitimately confused.

"Isn't that obvious?" The veteran Hunter snorted. "We'll be running into a whole lotta people from now on... and there's a good chance some of them might be spies. For Cinder or whoever she works for."

Strangely, the students were never told just who might be giving orders to Cinder. As someone who answered directly to Ozpin, Qrow would've known better than anyone yet he remained silent on this issue. They didn't think much of it at first but the longer their mission dragged on the more often they found themselves asking that very question.

"Which means while we're in town, we gotta try and lay low; keep your weapons hidden, don't attract no attention to yourselves and never run your mouth off in front of other people. You never know who might be listening in. We're lucky this town is in the ass-end of the kingdom and no one really knows us here. But once we get closer to the capital, things are gonna be different so you better watch your backs."

"Yeah, that's great." Yang rolled her eyes. "Got some other great news while you're at it?"

"Nope... _but –_ I found ourselves a job. One that could fetch us some good money if we do it correctly. Not to mention you could use a good learning opportunity?"

"How so?" Pyrrha seemed genuinely intrigued.

The grin on Qrow's face could only be described as savage. "I saw you kids slaughter your generic Beowolves, Creeps, Ursae and the like by dozens... but do you know how to kill the big game? _Do you wanna learn?_ "

* * *

Another day had passed... and the sea of blue seemingly had no end.

Late afternoon, when the heat let up and the sun slowly descended to the horizon. Standing at the very tip of the gunboat's bow, Tanya was leaning on the railing, watching the ship's prow split the waters as it steamed forward. Anyone else would've appreciated the sight of the setting sun above the peaceful sea, but the fencer felt restless.

This tub was starting to feel like a cage.

Her yesterday's meeting with Albain proved to be uneventful, despite her expectations. Albain reiterated that, among other things, his assistance would only extend to stopping Red Talon in Mistral, unless he decided otherwise. _Of course, he wouldn't risk fighting for anything even remotely resembling_ a human cause, Tanya thought bitterly. Once they disembarked in Altankhorin, their next objective would be to secure the fastest means of travel to the Mistral City.

It was not an outright bad idea but given how remote the port town was from the rest of the Kingdom, there was little chance of that happening. It also meant there would be no getting involved in the locals' business; getting to the capital took priority.

Again, easier said than done.

Their supplies would run out quickly if the only way to the Anima's inland were on foot... and with barely any money they couldn't afford to resupply. That would leave them with no choice but to take on contracts for Hunters along the way to earn some quick Lien.

In short, there was more than enough room for things to go awry... and Tanya didn't like it one bit.

Before her mind could veer into the even more depressing territory, a shout came from the man in the gunboat's spotting top.

"LAND! LAND IN SIGHT!"

* * *

Author's note: _So... it's been three months since the last update. I had a lot of stuff to deal with in that time, most of all getting up to speed in my job (the first ever job I might add which I'd prefer to keep as long as I can) and I couldn't really get myself to write anything RWBY-related. Perhaps it's because I'd gone completely AU now and writing stuff is more challenging when you don't have a sort of a guideline you can follow. That's probably the main reason I tend to focus on the Elder Scrolls fic I'm working on on the side; since I'd laid down the basic concept some time ago the progress gets quicker. While with this, I have the end (not gonna say what it is though) but nothing before that so I kind of make it up as I go. It's slow as shit and I tend to get stuck more often as I'm figuring out where to take things..._

 _It's probably why this chapter might seem lackluster plot-wise. Well, three months pause tends to have that effect so... sorry._

 _Anyway, enough rambling from me. Hope you had a good day and (hopefully) a good read._


	14. A2 C3) Welcome to Anima

**Arc 2 – Journey**

Chapter 3 – Welcome to Anima

 _In the outer province of Kingdom of Mistral..._

Nobody in town paid any attention to a group of exhausted hunters in training dragging themselves through the streets. Strangely enough, the idea of laying low seemed to work, despite no special effort on their part... and after today's exhausting endeavor they didn't even care.

" _Let's go hunt some big monsters,_ he said..." Yang mocked, dragging her feet a couple paces behind her team. " _It's gonna be fun,_ he said... _You can use the practice,_ he said..."

"Oh shut your piehole, Firecracker." 'Drunkle Qrow' called out from the front. "You're just mad you got knocked around a bit; not my fault you go off half-cocked all the time and can't take a good advice."

Given the events earlier that day she couldn't argue with that, as much as she loathed admitting it.

Just yesterday, Qrow brought up an idea of taking a Hunter job in town; something more challenging than 'cutting down a pack of Beowolves or a couple Ursae'. The gang agreed with the suggestion; they were all light on money and this was a golden opportunity. And as Qrow himself suggested, very soon they'd be facing worse enemies that Grimm. Any chance to improve their skill and tactics would be useful.

Little did they know what kind of job Branwen had picked... and he didn't tell anyone until the whole crew was deep in the surrounding woods.

Their target was... a Geist.

A spirit-like Grimm that could possess all sorts of inanimate objects to vastly boost its capabilities; in its base form it was pretty much pathetically weak... but it proved very difficult to catch it in this vulnerable state. Whenever the damn thing sensed the presence of anyone nearby it would reach out and grab onto anything it could use to form a proper body, be it wood, stone or metal, no matter how big or heavy it was.

That was exactly what it did when after hours of searching the forest up and down, Qrow and co. finally managed to track it down.

The moment it used boulders and fallen tree trunks to form a real, tangible and enormour body, the students knew their task just became very complicated. Aside from using its sheer size to crush its assailants with brute force, it also seemed to shrug off every attack thrown at it without any visible effects. When its body did suffer some damage, the Geist would simply repair it by possessing some more objects laying around.

It seemed this battle would have no end. Blades would simply bounce harmlessly off of the thing's body and bullets didn't seem to have much effect. Only the heavy hitters, that is Qrow, Nora and Yang had some chance to take out the Geist's body.

After witnessing the spirit-like Grimm 'heal' its 'wounds' for an ump-teenth time, Jaune decided the only way to take it down was to cut its limbs off simultaneously and then target its one-eyed 'face' before it could recover. Alas, this required a coordinated strike which seemed to be a problem for Nora and Yang. That was to be expected from the former; Valkyrie was a loose cannon (albeit very effective) and everyone knew it. Yang, on the other hand... The boxer usually kept her cool when things got serious. However, since their current mission began, her friends couldn't help it but take notice of her somewhat erratic behavior. Mood swings, not talking as often as she used to, even ceasing to make her trademark horrendous jokes... Everyone suspected something was going on with her but she wouldn't confide in anyone.

Worse, whatever was on her mind seemed to disrupt her focus in battle; hence why on a couple occasions she failed to notice the Geist's attack while everyone else could see it coming from mile away... hence Qrow's wry remarks.

But anyway, after several failed attempts, Jaune's plan appeared to work. In the span of couple seconds, the Geist lost three out of its four limbs, too much to regenerate at once. While the attackers were trying to get at its face, the Geist left its 'body' and tried to slip away in its spirit form.

A single bullet fired from Crescent Rose was enough to put its escape attempt to an early end.

The job was done... alas, the gang couldn't have known their celebration was premature.

Only minutes after the Geist was finally destroyed, a horde of Grimm burst out of the woods, lured in by the sounds of the battle; Bewolves and Creeps, accompanied by a couple Ursae and a group of Boarbatusks. The students were caught off guard by the unexpecetd assault and it didn't help that they were worn out after the initial clash with the Geist.

It took nearly an hour to completely eradicate the attacking horde... and a part of the forest got decimated in the process. It was a tough fight but miraculously no one got hurt, not seriously at least. A few got knocked around soundly in the initial attack, surprised by the ambush; namely Nora, Janue and Ruby... A lesson to never celebrate too early.

As for Qrow himself, he was too skilled and experienced to be surprised by a bunch of Grimm. Yet he didn't like the way the horde jumped them right after they defeated the Geist and let their guard down in that instant. It felt as if the monsters were becoming smarter, more organized... and knowing what he knew, it could only mean one thing.

The enemy watched them all.

Back in the present...

"So... whaddya think?"

"Think 'bout what, squirt?" Ruby pouted at her uncle's jab at her height.

"I believe Ruby meant 'how would you evaluate our performance'?" Pyrrha elaborated with a chuckle.

"I dunno..." Qrow shrugged. "I guess I expected more?"

"What do you mean, 'expected more'?" Nora objected. "We totes kicked their butts, right?"

"Not before giving them a solid chance to slaughter you." The veteran Huntsman admonished. "You did the most rookie mistake there is; you let your guard down in the hostile territory. You got very lucky it didn't get you all killed. Remember that we're on a critical mission; this is a serious business, not like those tame combat classes or useless lectures back at Beacon."

"Hey, stop treating us like kids!" Jaune snapped back. "We were there fighting tooth and nail while Vale City fell around us; we know what 'serious business' means!"

Qrow stopped in his tracks to fully face him. "Oh yeah? Your latest performance still doesn't have me entirely convinced, _Mr. Arc._ I've seen first year teams more coordinated than you lot. And don't even get me started on your fight with Cinder."

The blonde knight deflated visibly at the mention of that monster-of-a-woman that almost killed him.

"That was a low blow!" Pyrrha protested.

"Don't get all pissy on me, _Champ_!" Qrow countered. "You made the same stupid mistake your boy toy did; what were you thinking, challenging somebody ten times stronger than yourself?"

Pyrrha didn't have an answer to that.

"The way I see it, you kids still have a long way to go before you're really prepared for the ugliest shit this messed up world has to offer." Branwen continued. "There's a reason why I work by myself, with no backup and I think we'll be doing a lot more of these _field_ exercises to make you into an actual backup instead of a bunch of kids I have to look after all the time. I'll say it again – this is not a joke so you better shape up and get serious for once. And you Yang," The blonde boxer flinched a bit when she heard him say her name. "We're going to have a nice long talk once we get back."

"Yes, uncle Qrow."

The gang didn't speak much for the rest of the day. They had mixed feelings about Qrow's brutally honest evaluation of their performance during their Geist takedown. Some thought he was being unfair to them while other acknowledged the veteran Huntsman might've been right about some things, at the very least. Not even the generous amount of Lien from the town mayor for eliminating a major threat didn't seem to lift their spirits.

That was especially true for Yang as she was eerily quiet throughout most of the day.

There was another team meeting in The Drunken huntsman that evening. Dinner, planning the next steps, and other things... all while making sure there were no nosy people listening in. The town had no airport or railway connection and the next convoy to Mistral City wouldn't arrive until three days. They couldn't afford to wait that long so it was going on foot, _again._

Nobody was happy about another slog through the jungle. Not even Ruby herself... but she had other things to worry about, namely her sister's quiet demeanor. Usually it was Yang looking out for her younger sibling but this evening the 'big sister' part would fall to Ruby... and she had enough of Yang keeping things from her. Something was bothering her... and Ruby would find out one way or another.

Imagine her surprise when later that evening she saw Yang sneaking out of the room and into the street.

Qrow strongly discouraged all of them from wandering around the town alone so when seeing Yang step out of the inn while making sure she wasn't being followed, it naturally piqued her curiosity.

… _Did she find a new boy in the town, that fast?!_ That was Ruby's first thought and she felt bad for even entertaining such notion. She couldn't see her big sister leaving Roland so soon, not after seeing how crazy in love the two of them were. The scowl etched into Yang's face further disproved that.

Very carefully, Ruby followed Yang, making sure to stay out of sight. Things started out relatively normal at first; Yang walking down the half-empty streets casting glares at any suspicious characters while Ruby followed several steps behind her. Then after a couple minutes, the boxer took a turn down a dirt path that led out of town and straight into the woods, much to Ruby's shock.

 _Just what is she doing?!_

Ruby was relieved she didn't forget to bring her scythe.

Stalking through the forest in near-pitch black felt creepier than she ever imagined. Sure, there were many spots to hide in... but one could never know who _or what_ might've been watching them.

Eventually Yang made it to a small clearing where a lone figure sat on a large ancient stump, sharpening their weapon.

Ruby's breath hitched. Even at the distance and in the dark she could clearly recognize Qrow.

 _What's he doing here? What's going on?!_

After a moment of panicking, Ruby ducked into the nearest bush just as Yang turned to look behind her. Seeing only faint outlines of trees in the darkness, she shook her head and continued to the clearing.

 _Oh man, that was close..._ Ruby didn't mind sticks poking into her legs and sides. If her sister caught her sneaking around it could definitely be bad.

"You took yer sweet time, Firecracker." The uncle's voice cut through the air; like sandpaper grating against wood but devoid of its usual lightheartedness.

Yang didn't take the teasing well. "Get off my back, Qrow! Do you know how fucking hard it was to sneak out of that pub without being noticed?"

Qrow chuckled humorlessly at his niece's indignation. "As I recall you're the one that wants something from me so I figured I'd let you work for it."

"Whatever." Yang bit out... and it was clear Qrow didn't appreciate that kind of tone. "You said you can help me get in contact with Raven."

"Yes I can."

"Then what the hell are we still waiting for?"

Qrow shook his head. "Eager, huh? Dunno if it's a good or bad thing."

"Don't change the subject, Qrow."

"You better drop the attitude if you don't want me to _shave you bald_ , Yang!" Qrow snapped harshly. "You're forgetting pretty easily that I'm the only one who can get you in contact with Raven; throwing a tantrum won't win you any favors with me!"

 _Raven? Who is that?_ Ruby had never heard that name before. Maybe if she lay low a bit longer Qrow would broach the topic...

"Damnit Qrow!" Yang argued. "You said you'd help me!"

Qrow sighed irritably. "Yeah I did... and I will. Though I don't know what possessed me to agree."

Yang furrowed her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm still debating if I'm doin' the right thing, letting you meet her." Qrow continued before Yang could object. "I told you multiple times that Raven's a dangerous character, about as much as me... if not even more. She was responsible for our team breaking apart; she left you on Tai's doorstep as soon as you were born!" He shook his head. "I don't understand why you'd even go to such lengths to see that woman. I mean... remember that night ten years ago?"

 _Night ten years ago? Couldn't you guys be any more cryptic? And what is that with that woman leaving her?_

"Did you really have to bring _that_ up?" Yang sounded unusually quiet, her voice filled with both pain and anger.

"Your sister almost got killed simply 'cause you went after someone who never cared about you to begin with. I just don't get it... and I probably never will." Qrow continued. "You know, I never told Tai about that stupid stunt you pulled; I thought you learned your lesson. But now..."

Ruby's jaw hanged open at the revelation. She did remember that night; barely four year old alone in a dark forest with her big sister. Both of them kids, completely defenseless against a pack of Beowolves that surrounded them. They were incredibly lucky that Qrow was around. However, to this day she didn't know how they ended up in that predicament. Could it truly be that Yang took her on that goose chase after that 'Raven' woman and somehow ended up blundering right into a Grimm den?

 _But... why?_

"I never thought I'd say it but you and Raven do have a couple things in common, after all."

"Oh yeah?" Yang questioned.

Qrow chuckled mirthlessly. "Like... you're both so impossibly, annoyingly stubborn; once you set your mind on something, there's no stopping you. I hope that's where all similarities end, though." His usually gruff voice softened... and it sounded so unlike him. "I don't want you to turn out like my sister."

 _His sister... Raven's his sister? I have an Auntie and nobody ever told me?! But what about that thing with leaving Yang to Dad..._

Suddenly it all clicked.

 _Raven is Yang's Mom! ...but why's Qrow so much against letting Yang meet her?_

"You don't get it, Qrow." Yang replied. "I'm not so stupid to think Raven actually cares about me. She left me when I was just a baby; what kind of Mom does that?"

 _So... that confirms it. How come she never told me that?_

"I'm not stupid; I never believed for a second that deep down under all those layers of bitchiness Raven actually might care for me. No; all I want is for her to answer one single question: _Why?_ Why leave? Why cut me out of her life like that?"

"There's no guarantee that Raven would spare a second of her time to answer herself to you, Yang." Qrow shrugged. "I know she never tells me a damn thing. But fine... I said I'd help you find her so that's what I'll do. A word of advice, though;" The veteran Huntsman raised a finger. "You better be prepared for a world of disappointment; you'll never find Raven unless she actually lets you. So if she really doesn't want to see you, then you're shit outta luck, kid."

"Well, that's just the risk I'm willing to take." Yang retorted.

"Don't forget that we have a job to do." Qrow reminded her and boy, did she not look pleased. "First we're getting your gang to Mistral City, then we can go chase after your, ahem, _mother._ And you better drop that pissy attitude, it's putting people off."

It was true that Yang hasn't been in the best of moods since leaving for Mistral... and over the course of the mission it kept only getting worse. When anyone asked, she'd always try to play it off as nothing, though. Ruby knew her sister was hiding something and made a couple attempts to make her talk... all of them unsuccessful. But now that she knew the truth... Was it any surprise Yang kept this from everyone, something so personal?

"I-" Yang actually looked ashamed. "It's been hard couple days."

"I get it but it don't mean you can get snappy with the rest of us for no apparent reason." Qrow pointed out. "And I don't have to tell you that you should keep all this to yourself; your friends don't need to know our dirty laundry."

"Yeah, not a word. Now can we go back? This place is giving me creeps."

"If you wanna go back to the tavern, be my guest." Uncle shrugged. "Me? I guess I'll hang around a little more."

"Okay... don't be gone too long." With that, Yang turned on her heel and strode back to the town. She walked right past the bush where Ruby was hiding... but luckily didn't notice her.

Her mind was still reeling from what she'd just learned. She and Yang had different mothers... People always questioned why she looked so different from her sister. She never thought much on it, let alone consider the possibility of the two of them being 'only' half-siblings. Now though... Raven, Qrow's sister and Yang's mother must've been some unsavory character given how apprehensive Uncle was about the prospect of her meeting Yang.

Was it because the woman left her own kid without a care in the world, never to return? Or could it be something else entirely...?

 _No, I've heard enough already._ Ruby decided. It was time to get out of here before her curiosity got her into trouble... again.

When she was sure Yang was out of fight, she bolted from her hideout... only to find out she couldn't move.

 _Wha...?_

Immediately she realized her cape got stuck on something. _Ugh, did it snag on a branch or something?_ She tugged sharply but whatever got hold of her cape wouldn't budge.

Oh, the major inconvenience of capes, their nasty tendency of getting stuck on things. For years Ruby did her best to ignore that drawback because- _capes are cool, duh!_ Now though... Perhaps it was time to recognize that cape wasn't the most suitable outfit for combat-

Fumbling around in the dark, Ruby finally managed to feel whatever held her cape down. Funnily enough, it had an oddly familiar shape, almost like a-

 _Wait a minute..._

Ruby looked up, horrible realization dawning on her. Just as she feared, she found herself staring directly into Uncle Qrow's grinning face. His boot was pinning the end of her cape down.

"I was wonderin' how long it'd take you to figure that out."

Ruby opened her mouth... and no words came out. Just a couple of nonsensical, incomprehensible sounds. There was no believable excuse; she was quite literally caught in the act.

"Look at your face!" Qrow laughed. "Just like when Tai caught you during the pantry raid years ago! Wasn't that funny!" Suddenly, the grin vanished from his face. "How much did you hear?"

Ruby froze at the cold, no-nonsense tone in his voice. "I- Eh... Uh-"

Seeing his niece fumbling awkwardly for words, Qrow drew his own and correct conlusion. "You heard everything, didn't you?"

"Uh... kinda?"

Branwen rubbed his forehead, already feeling the incoming headache. "Goddamnit... This was supposed to be a _private conversation_ ; know what it means, by chance?! How did you even know about this?"

"I didn't!" Ruby defended herself. "I saw Yang sneaking out of the tavern and decided to go after her – quietly – I wanted to help out in case she got herself into trouble or something and... and..."

"You didn't figure out that whatever we were talking about wasn't meant for your ears." Qrow finished in a flat voice. There was no denying that the man was angry. "Well... it ain't like I can do anything about it _now._ You better keep it to yourself, kid... or you're in a whole lot of trouble, you hear me?"

It was a signal that all he wanted to hear was an answer to his question. Ruby clearly didn't get it, though. "So Yang and I had different moms? Her mom's actually your sister? My aunt? Why didn't you ever tell m-"

"Because you didn't need to know!" Qrow barked, stopping Ruby's seemingly endless barrage of questions. "Raven ain't the kind of person you need to know or worry about. She never was; I'm her brother, I grew up with her so I should know that better than anyone! The less you know about her, the better! I tried to tell Yang the same but she'd have none of it!"

"Is that why you promised Yang to help find her?" Ruby questioned. "Even if she's bad?"

"If I refused she'd go off anyway and I wouldn't have the chance to watch her back. This way I have some control over what she's doing. But I don't have to explain you that." Uncle said resolutely. "You will go back to your room and forget everything you just heard, got it?"

"But- I can help-" Ruby tried to argue but Qrow would have none of it.

"Absolutely not! I'm not letting you within ten leagues of that- _that woman!"_ Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Seriously, Raven's just as dangerous as the people we're hunting and she's willing to do anything if it benefits her... even if it means hurting others."

Ruby didn't even argue at this point, staring back at him with wide eyes.

"If you really wanna help, then make sure Yang doesn't do anything stupid while I'm not around... _such as going off after Raven with no backup._ " Qrow finally stepped off of her cape. "Now, get outta here... and remember, we have never talked about his, got it?"

Ruby gave a hesitant nod. She didn't like any of this, not one bit... but it was hopeless to argue with her Uncle, a seasoned veteran Huntsman who knew the world far better than she did.

She turned back towards the town yet after a couple paces she noticed Qrow wasn't following. "Qrow? Aren't you coming?"

Qrow shook his head. "Later, kid. If Yang saw us coming back together she might suspect something. Just go ahead... and don't forget; we never talked about Raven or anything related to her, got it?"

"Fine... try not to get too drunk on the way back!" Ruby knew she could get away with occasional jabs at Qrow's drinking habit. However, Uncle wasn't in the best of moods at the moment so she let her Semblance carry her out of the woods.

From an outsider's perspective, her form suddenly disappeared in a cloud of rose petals.

Ruby didn't avoid questioning from her friends once she turned up back in The Drunken huntsman. Luckily, everyone seemed to buy her excuse about taking an evening stroll around the town, including Yang.

It was a relief for her yet it didn't help her sleep any better at night.

The conversation between Yang and Qrow played out in her mind again and again as she tried to fall asleep.

* * *

After days of mind-addling boredom and growing discord among the crew, the mainland of Anima was finally in sight. It was safe to say that everyone aboard the gunboat was looking forward to setting foot on solid ground again.

Things were set in motion the moment the lookouts spotted the coast of Anima far in the distance. It would take at least two more hours of sailing at top speed to reach the port, however. With that in mind, emissary Albain held a meeting to discuss the next course of acion... and everyone had to attend.

The mess hall was about the only place aboard the ship where the entire crew could somewhat comfortably squeeze in. Alas, there wasn't much to be done about people shouting over one another and Albain's frantic calls for order didn't always work. Especially when some... _less accepting_ individuals kept shooting down ideas of their human allies simply for the sake of 'not taking orders from humans.'

In spite of all that, this very disparate crowd managed to find some common ground at least.

First off, prepare the supplies for unloading, which included food, drink, ammo and a limited amount of Dust; less time spent in the docks meant they could be on their way to Mistral City sooner.

Another point was negotiating with the leaders of Altankhorin, whoever it was. Albain knew this had the potential of derailing their mission unless handled with care. Despite being nowhere as extreme as in Atlas, Kingdom of Mistral had its fair share of issues with racism, and the locals wouldn't take very kindly to a large group of Faunus strutting around their town. Especially if they were from Menagerie, a land that was mostly looked down upon as a 'backwards hellhole.'

In the end, Albain decided that the presence of humans would be necessary during the talks. The last thing he needed was a violent confrontation between his people and the local forces which would essentially doom their mission to failure; they could hardly disrupt the Talon's plans if the Mistral's authorities were after them.

There were some protests against the decision but too bad: Albain ran the show.

The final matter concerned Blake Belladonna herself.

The Chieftain's orders were clear; to keep his daughter out of harm's way at any cost, at least until she got well enough to defend herself... which she was far from at the moment.

While it was Blake's comrades from Beacon Academy who were charged with this task, Albain decided to make one Ilia Amitola her main 'caretaker,' much to everyone's surprise. Predictably, Blake was miffed that others decided for her without even bothering to ask for her opinion but there wasn't much she could do about it.

By the time the meeting finally ended, almost an entire hour had passed... which made the preparations for docking all the more frantic.

In the meantime, team TNDR retreated into their quarters to prepare for the 'next stage,' as Albain dubbed it.

"Anyone of you noticed," Roland spoke up as he loaded his guns. "that Albain looked kinda jittery at the meeting?"

"For a good reason." Nicolaus pointed out. "He's an emissary for White Fang, remember? The Mistral's branch may not be as radical as Vale's branch but still, they're not really well-liked around here. And that's assuming the news from Vale hasn't reached Mistral yet."

"You think the town's mayor – or whatever they call them – will make things hard for us?"

"I have no idea; anything can happen." Nicolaus admitted. "I'm just saying the locals might not be thrilled about having to deal with what they see as a terrorist organization."

"It's not like we'd be asking them for that much – just let us unload our stuff and pass through their town." Tanya chimed in. "That shouldn't inconvenience them in any way."

"I don't know, Tan." Emery shrugged, his chainsaw-greatsword sitting in his lap as he cleaned it. "Sometimes people don't need a valid reason to mess with you."

Tanya turned the other way so no could see her grimace. Sometimes she missed that clueless kid inside a tall hunk's body she knew as Desmond... not that she'd ever want to reverse the great progress he made since coming to Beacon Academy.

Discovering his dark violent past, thought to be long forgotten, a child super-soldier trained in inhumane conditions to become an obedient, unfeeling killing machine... and then forgetting everything as the 'trainees' rebelled and dismantled the entire project, _violently._ When these memories randomly started coming back, it could've shattered his psyche, cause his mind to shut down. But somehow, Emery came out of that experience better and stronger. Within a few months since his first flashback, he came to be almost as smart as the rest of his peers. Mind as sharp as his sword...

Alas, as he so quickly matured, some of his goofy, happy-go-lucky attitude was left behind. Unfortunately, because they all needed a moment of carefree happiness within all the glum that seemed to permeate their life these days.

Just one moment without being reminded of every calamity that came to pass since the fall of Vale City.

"We'll make it work, big guy. Albain's practically a diplomat; I'm sure he can easily talk down some stuffy glorified pencil pusher." Not the best way to address a mayor of a town; still, her mocking remark earned a couple chuckles. "And if that doesn't work... Don't forget, we'll have a ship with big-ass guns moored just in range! The mayor will help out, I guarantee it... and he'll be damn glad to do so."

"Doesn't sound much like diplomacy to me." Nicolaus deadpanned.

"It sure as hell is!" Tanya argued. "'Gunboat diplomacy'... and I'll be the first to coin that term!"

"Well, I hope you guys are ready to use it," Roland interjected, pointing at the clock hanging on the wall. "'Cause you got no more than half an hour to prepare for the meeting."

As if on cue, the door to the cabin opened.

"No need to dress up like you're going to war; we're attending a peaceful meeting." Emissary Albain remarked dryly as he entered the room, accompanied by Ilia and Blake who chose to stay just outside the door.

"It pays off to be ready for anything." Tanya replied as she put her sabers into the holsters strapped to her thighs. "Are you sure you need all of us to come along?"

"Thwarting Talon's imminent coup attempt is a joint Beacon-Menagerie mission, is it not?" Albain reminded. "As I represent Menagerie and its Chieftain, just like young Miss Belladonna here, it would only be fair for your team to come along on behalf of your Academy. And as the local government's attitude towards my kind is... lukewarm, to put it mildly, your presence at the talks might help our case."

"Well, since you put it that way, it might be for the best." They saw this coming from miles away. Despite claiming otherwise, Tanya was somewhat worried about the upcoming 'talks.' There was always a risk when negotiating with people in power; one could never know if they wouldn't screw people over for their own private agenda. Being humans accompanied by a bunch of Faunus many of which were ex-Fang was just as likely to help them as make matters even more difficult. Why, just before Vale City fell, there were many pro-human activists out there in the public eye, proclaiming unshakable belief in 'human supremacy' while pounding their chests like frenzied gorillas, and condemning 'fraternizing with them animals' as treason. If the mayor Altankhorin turned out to be one of those jackasses... Suffice to say, it would spell some huge trouble.

Plus there was a possibility, though a remote one, that Cinder's influence somehow extended even into this half-forgotten part of the Kingdom. If so, then the mayor would make sure to hinder them as much as possible... or send them straight into a trap.

Many ways how things could go south... Alas, bypassing the authorities completely certainly would invite a war with the entire town. If a warship turned up at the port without asking for a permission to dock and a group of armed Faunus began pouring out it could easily be seen as White Fang attack; who cared if there were a couple humans, obviously not prisoners, among the 'attackers'...

In the end there was no choice but to treat with the town's representatives... but Tanya would by no means cater to their every whim. "We'll come along... but we're keeping our weapons. I'm not budging on that, period."

Albain frowned a bit. "With all due respect, the mayor wouldn't take kindly-"

"With all due respect, the mayor can go get stuffed." The fencer fired back. "Certified Hunters and hunters-in-training are _legally_ entitled to carry weapons in public and I'll gladly remind him of that if he tries anything."

Meanwhile, Ilia leaned towards Blake. "Is she always like this?"

"Well, no... but it's been a while since we last saw each other." Blake whispered back. "A great deal has changed since then."

Albain offered no response other than "I hope you have some way of proving Beacon's membership." It was obvious he didn't like Tanya's decision but he could hardly do anything about it.

"Oh, we do." Tanya gave a curt nod to her teammates. "Let's go, boys; this tub's gonna dock anytime now and we shouldn't keep our _gracious hosts_ waiting."

* * *

By the time the gunboat anchored in the port, darkness was falling fast.

Albain's wariness about dealing with the locals proved justified in the end. As soon as the name 'Menagerie' was dropped the port's supervisor, amiable enough before, suddenly became reluctant to give the permission to moor at the port. It took a fair amount of convincing to make him reconsider; it felt like a small victory when the supervisor finally allowed them to enter the port. However, the feeling turned out short-lived once the 'envoy' consisting of Albain, Blake, Ilia and team TNDR disembarked only to discover Altankhorin's entire defense force assembled along the access road to the town.

While the armed force wasn't exactly great in numbers it did send a clear message. One wrong move and all hell breaks loose.

On the bright side, no one tried to seize their ship so far but given they were heading straight into the potentially hostile territory it didn't provide much of a relief.

"Gee, I didn't think I'd get such a warm welcome." Roland drawled as he took in the 'welcome committee.'

"Please, keep your smart comments to yourself." Albain admonished softly. "We don't want to derail the talks before they can even begin."

The gunslinger took it as a signal to shut up, especially since his friends didn't take his side this time.

There was a couple councilmen accompanied by numerous bodyguards waiting for them at the town's entrance. The initial impression wasn't great, overall. The councilmen kept staring at the visitors as if they expected them to attack at any moment despite all the soldiers nearby. Albain tried to take it in stride but he couldn't fool his associates; they knew he was annoyed by this treatment.

Eventually, Albain and co. found themselves in the mayor's residence, in the meeting room on the ground floor. The guards were reluctant to let them in armed but once Tanya mentioned 'Beacon' they changed their attitude quickly. It seemed that even after its recent failure, the name carried some weight around there.

The mayor himself was suprisingly young for a man in his position, perhaps in his mid-fourties, and he was by no means pleased by their presence.

"You're here, good." The man said without much preamble. "Let's get this over with."

Albain didn't even so much as flinch at the mayor's brash attitude. The same couldn't be said for his companions who all shared an awkward glance. "Yes, I would prefer to have this situation resolved soon, too. The more time we lose here the more likely-"

"Oh please, spare me your platitudes, _Albain._ " The mayor snapped back, interrupting the emissary mid-sentence. "I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play here but you must have a lot of nerve to show up at my doorstep, with your _goons_ , no less."

"Excuse me?" Roland exclaimed, visibly incensed.

The mayor shot him a very cross look. "And who the hell are you? More importantly, what reasons could you possibly have for associating yourself with those White Fang bastards?!" Apparently, the man realized that part of Albain's entourage were humans and that only served to aggravate his ire.

Albain had finally gathered his wits and spoke to his defense. "I have left the ranks of White Fang to serve as an advisor to the governor of Menagerie... and that was months ago, mind you."

"You might say that now but does that absolve you of any responsibility for everything you savages did?" The mayor scoffed. "It wasn't that long since you bastards tried to blow up the docks simply because we wouldn't let your kind extort us! If you really think you'll get your way with threats and vulgar displays of power and hate then you're simply wrong!"

Blake couldn't hold it together at that point. "Maybe if humans stopped treating us like second-class citizens the Fang wouldn't have turned to violent means!"

The 'talks' were quickly turning into a heated argument and Nicolaus took it upon himself to defuse the situation.

"Listen, we could stand around here arguing all day about who wronged who. Even while I believe neither humans nor Faunus are innocent in this conflict, we currently have bigger problems than blaming each other for our own mistakes. We're here because of the new branch of White Fang that emerged in Vale. They call themselves Red Talon and if you think that the Fang under Khan's leadership is bad, then the Talon is far, _far worse_ , believe you me."

The mayor narrowed his eyes. "If this 'Red Talon' is based in Vale then what, goodness gracious, are you doing here, _in Mistral?_ And in the company of those terrorists?"

"The reason's very simple, sir." Tanya joined the debate. "Talon believes in Faunus supremacy and necessity of humankind's complete eradication, _fanatically so._ Worse, they seek to expand and spread this _demented_ ideology to the rest of the world and are ready to destroy all opposition along the way, be it humans or fellow Faunus. It's precisely why they attempted to overthrow Chieftain Belladonna back in Menagerie."

"Am I right to assume the attempt was unsuccessful?"

"You assume correctly, sir, though a lot of good people died to beat the invaders back." Albain said somberly. "Anyway, we have reasons to assume that despite their failure in Menagerie, Talon will attempt to depose Sienna Khan and take control of the Mistral branch of White Fang. And you can imagine the result if they succeeded."

Roland didn't wait for the mayor to make a guess. "Mayhem and bloodshed. The way I see it, the Fang usually targets the major anti-Faunus players and the use of violence is used primarily to send a message to the oppressors. If Talon takes over, however... you're looking at a genocidal campaign, ripe with indiscriminate killing. Humans are the main target but Faunus that aren't allied with Talon are a fair game as well."

"Not to mention the havoc it will wreak on my people's standing." Albain muttered.

The few other people present in the room at the time were positively horrified by the implication. Predictably, the mayor didn't seem entirely convinced.

"Why should I believe any of this?" He questioned. "Just because a bunch of humans appears alongside the White Fang thugs doesn't mean that anything you tell me must be the truth. For all we know, you might be hostages forced to dance along their tune, so to speak! Or worse, you might be in on whatever malicious business they're up to-"

Suddenly, Tanya drew her weapons... and the rest of her team promptly followed suit.

"Take a good long look at us, _mayor_ ; do we look like hostages to you?!" The fencer snarled.

Though looking surprised by the unexpected turn of events, the mayor wasn't too intimidated. "Right now, you look like _trouble._ One wrong move and my guards will-"

"Do _what?_ " Tanya cut him off. "We're the students from Beacon Academy and we've been fighting the Talon for over six months, ever since Vale City fell. We survived far worse than anything your glorified little militia can throw at us."

"Calm down, everyone!" Albain tried to interject. "There's no need for-"

Alas, his pleas went completely ignored. "Look pal, they Fang isn't the threat right now; _the Talon is!_ The sooner you get it through your thick skull the better!" Roland barked at the mayor. "As Albain here said already, we want to take Talon down because they were involved in the shitstorm in Vale City!" Not entirely true... but only few people knew about the role one Cinder Fall played during that fateful night.

"You and your town are literally on the only road to Mistral City from this end of the Kingdom... and since we don't feel like starting a war with you and your cohorts, we wanted to ask you to let us pass through here without obstructions." Nicolaus joined in. "But since you're very disinclined on hearing us out or even acknowledging the danger right within your Kingdom-"

"You have a _freaking gunboat_ parked at my doorstep!"

"It was confiscated from Talon back in Menagerie and at the time it was our only means of getting to Anima." Albain decided to just go with the flow, though he wasn't pleased by the way the Beacon students handled things. "Once we unload our supplies and proceed with our journey, the vessel will be returning to Menagerie. In case we haven't made it clear before, we must get to Mistral City as soon as possible and stop Talon before it's too late."

Tense silence fell in the meeting room. Everything now hinged on the mayor's decision... and the longer he took to mull things over, the more nervous the visitors grew.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the town leader finally caved in. "Fine, have it your way, then. But I'm doing this only 'cause I want you out of my hair; we have enough problems to deal with already and I don't need you lot adding to them. Don't care when and how but I want you out of my town by tomorrow noon. Now do us all a favor and go back to your damn ship."

* * *

"Well, not the way I imagined it to go but at least we won't have to worry about the mayor giving us trouble."

Or that's how Albain evaluated the meeting, despite Tanya's dramatic intervention.

There was no way the entire group could head out in the dark, when the monsters had the greatest advantage. It was decided that they would set out the next day at the break of dawn. Albain had the gunboat's crew unload some of the necessary supplies right that evening so the 'task force,' as it was being called now, would be on its way sooner.

No one objected to the plan, especially after the mayor's 'warm' welcome.

That evening, the students of Beacon Academy had gathered in TNDR's cabin; it included Blake and her 'official caretaker' Ilia. With all their stuff packed, blades sharpened and guns loaded, everyone was ready to undertake the long and dangerous journey to Mistral City.

"So, this is it." Emery sighed, sprawled across his bunk. "To think that just a couple days ago we were worried about being stuck in Menagerie for another week."

"We can thank the Chieftain for that." Roland commented. "He knew what was at stake, unlike the pompous prick in charge around here."

"Let's hope this is the end of all complications." Nicolaus said. "Albain said it's two days hike to the next town?"

"Yeah," Tanya nodded. "And there's a railway station in there. With a bit of luck, the train will take us straight to Mistral City."

"If they even let us board, that is." Blake muttered.

"Oh they will," The fencer smirked. "We can be very persuasive if we want to be."

"Like this evening?" Ilia jabbed. "Still don't understand how _that_ didn't backfire on us."

"There's a trick to a show of power; you must know the appropriate time to use it."

"Uh-huh." Ilia deadpanned.

"Give her some slack, she hasn't been running with us for long." Nicolaus chuckled. "She'll get used to it, given enough time."

"Imagine the chaos once we reunite with the rest of the gang!" Emery joked.

"Yeah, can't wait to see them again. Hope they're doing okay."

No one noticed Blake looking out of the single porthole in the cabin with a wistful expression on her face.


	15. A2 C4) The march is on

**Arc 2 – Journey**

Chapter 4 – The march is on

The wake up call came early that day.

Aboard the gunboat, the crewmen and the members of the 'Beacon-Menagerie joint expedition,' as this large disparate group became called, stumbled out of their quarters preparing for the upcoming trek literally as they walked. There was hardly any time to lose as the preparations to disembark began in earnest.

The mayor of Altankhorin gave them an ultimatum: be on their way until noon or suffer the consequences.

Just the day prior, there was some serious dissent among the natives of Menagerie. They didn't take kindly to the mayor's thinly veiled threat and the old resentments began surfacing again. Thankfully Albain put those thoughts to an end. There was nothing to gain from pointlessly provoking a fight, especially when there was far more severe threat looming on the horizon.

Every speck of strength at their disposal would best be saved for _that battle._

The ship's crewmen frantically unloaded all the supplies as Albain wanted to be out of the port as soon as possible. No blaming the man for that after the 'warm welcome' he received just the previous day. It seemed that for humans it was 'once a White Fang, always a White Fang.' Based in that single encounter, the former emissary had no guarantee, or confidence, that the port's mayor wouldn't break his word to them.

Just another reason to leave this god-forsaken place quickly.

Just a while past nine in the morning, which might as well have been a record time, everything was ready. The entire expedition was mustered on the pier at which the gunboat was anchored; Albain himself, the volunteers from Menagerie, some of which used to be White Fang members, doctor Hacksaw and also the hunters-in-training from Beacon Academy. That included one Blake Belladonna... though it was difficult to tell as the girl kept distance from her fellow students for reasons only she knew.

A total of thirty men; a little too few considering the force they were up against... but they might not need the strength of an army if everything worked out. Convincing Sienna Khan herself to work with them would without a doubt be a challenge in its own right.

There was no point in planning that far ahead, though. They had to get to Mistral City, first.

Then the former Fang's emissary stood before the crowd just as the gunboat's crew was preparing to depart.

"We've made it this far but the most trying part of our task lies just ahead." Albain adressed the group before him. "The journey to Mistral city will undoubtedly put everything we have and are to a test; at the very worst, it will be hundreds of miles of walking under the burning sun and suffocating air of Anima's ancient forests. Monsters, as well as our enemy, might be dogging our every step and we'll be under constant threat of being attacked. Every day, you might find yourselves pushing your very limits to keep going. I won't blame those of you who find to have no strength or courage for such undertaking." He gestured to the warship moored just a few paces away. "This is your final chance to turn back; no one will think any less of you if you do."

Standing at the back of the crowd, leader of team TNDR had conflicting thoughts about Albain's speech. Sure, it was generous of him to offer an out to those of them who had second thoughts about signing up in the first place. So many people would volunteer on dangerous undertakings such as this wishing to leave their mark... and were too late to find out it was too much for them. No point in getting killed because of not knowing one's limits.

But on the other hand, how many of them would be left to continue on with the journey after an offer like this?

With a mix of curiosity and dread, Tanya watched the crowd for the next few moments.

A hand went up, followed by another a few moments after...

A pair of young teenagers stepped forward; frankly, way too young to be there. With a curt nod and quiet words of thanks, Albain sent them aboard the gunboat for the journey back home.

Everyone else made their decision to carry on, though; as much as she wanted to kick herself for even thinking that, Tanya felt relieved. If it were half the crew who bailed out, the mission might as well have been over.

'Loss' of two people wouldn't affect them that much... or there was the hoping.

"Now, if no one else wants to withdraw from this mission," Albain continued shortly after the quitters vanished inside the gunboat. "A few words before we set out. A set of guidelines, if you will." He regarded the crew with a severe expression. "Under no circumstances, no one is allowed to wander off alone. I don't doubt all of you can fight to some degree but most of you never attended a true combat academy, unlike our allies."

Everyone collectively turned to look at the Beacon students.

Tanya grimaced at the expectant looks cast her way... but since she happened to share the command with Albain, it would look bad if she didn't contribute in some way. "That is true; we need to stick together if we want to make it." She finally spoke. "I know you all probably heard it at some point already but I'll say it again. _The Grimmlands are no joke;_ there are lots of things out there that can and _most likely_ _will_ kill you. Unless you have a company of strong fighters or you _really_ know your way around you'll probably wind up dead within a day. Me and my boys will do whatever we can to keep the monsters away... but you should know that the four of us can only do so much. If Grimm happen to come in force, well... Let's face it, we can't be everywhere at once so you might end up in a situation where you'll have to depend on yourselves."

That remark didn't seem to sit well with the rest of the group. It was difficult to discern any words in the quiet murmur but they were obviously worried by the prospect of having to face monsters on their own.

"Now, I know all of you can hold your own in a fight; I mean, you wouldn't sign up for this if you couldn't. But does any of you have some kind of formal combat education?" The only response Tanya received was dead silence.

She kind of expected this; as far as she knew, every single of Albain's men had been a member of White Fang at some point. Everything they knew about combat was taught to them by veterans, most of which never attended combat schools. For them, it was 'learning by doing'.

All in all, practical lessons had their merits, even Qrow himself preferred that method of learning... but one couldn't neglect the theory. Going against a Grimm without knowing its strengths and weaknesses prior to the fight? 'Trial and error' had no place in fighting monsters because one single mistake could very well mean an instant death; no 'retry' button to save your life.

"Well, more of a reason for you to learn to take an advice from us, even if we are just a bunch of 'dirty humans'... well, except Nick, of course." The Faunus in question snorted a laugh at the comment. Tanya was pretty sure some in the crowd growled at her jab but she didn't care. If they would give her shit for being a human without a second thought, she'd pay back in kind. "Anyway, we're open to the idea of sharing some of our tricks and knowledge with any of you who are interested. I'm pretty sure you'll all need it someday. And while we're at it, my first advice to you is: _don't play a hero._ "

"Because that's what _you're_ here for?" Someone in the crowd said. There was no mocking in it but some people laughed anyway.

"Nope; heroes have a tendency to get killed because of overestimating their strength." Tanya answered readily. Only her closest friends knew she was speaking from experience. "We're professionals," _Or we're trying to be._ "We know when to joint a fight and when to withdraw; knowing your limits is a must in our line of work. Fighting _smart,_ not hard is the key to live long enough to retire... but I'm getting off track here. The point is: if you're not confident in your fighting skills, if you're not one-hundred-percent sure you can defeat your current opponent, either retreat or get help. I know some of you might not believe it, given you previous loyalties, but I'd prefer to get all of you through this mission _alive_ if I can help it. But I can't do that without some level of cooperation from you; keep that in mind, alright?"

 _Let's hope they got the message..._

"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. As for any combat related matters, I'll defer to the judgment of our allies from Beacon." Albain took the floor. "Don't forget about the next most important issue: logistics. Since we can't afford to wait for one of the regular armored convoys to show up, we'll obviously have to go on foot. That will be slow and if we don't manage to secure faster means of travel along the way we'll be running the risk of depleting our supplies... of which we have just enough to cover the estimated time to reach Mistral City. Which means we'll have to ration the supplies."

The news wasn't met with what one could call a calm response; there were no audible protests but it was obvious no one took it really well.

"The supplies will be carried on a wagon... and since we have no draft animals at our disposal, we'll have to draw the cart ourselves. I know, it's rather primitive solution but we don't have much of a choice since we can't depend on receiving help from the _locals._ I'll leave the task to those with least combat experience." ...and the people in question incriminated themselves with audible groans of displeasure. "I assure you we'll be looking into any means of speeding things up but for now, we'll just have to make do with what we have at our disposal."

At that moment, Tanya felt something poking her side. Turning to the right she noticed Roland pointing at something with a somewhat nervous expression. She glanced in that particular direction… and much to her surprise she saw the local defense force coming into the streets.

For a moment she thought that slimebag-of-a-mayor decided to stab them in the back and sent his attack dogs for a 'raid.'

And she wasn't the only one to notice.

Albain's men saw them coming too and agitation began to surge among them. A couple hands even went for their weapons...

The emissary himself didn't look worried, strangely enough; he looked angry.

"They won't attack." He said with conviction. "This blatant display of power is meant to hurry us along. Pay them no mind."

"How can you be so sure about that?" Ilia questioned.

"It's in our dear mayor's best interest to exercise some restraint while there's our gunboat parked at his doorstep... with its guns trained right at him." Albain responded with a smirk, mirroring the mayor's exact words. "It won't leave until we're safely out of town. If his goons try anything... Needless to say the reprisal will be swift. I prefer to avoid bloodshed whenever possible but I'll be damned if I take any chances."

For all his eloquent demeanor and supposed preference for diplomacy, Fennec Albain was still White Fang at heart.

"It might be best if we set out right now." Tanya suggested. "Before some of those bozos get _too nervous,_ if you know what I mean."

Albain looked like he wanted to argue that point, probably because he thought relenting to humans might make him appear weak. Fortunately he relented after a brief deliberation. "I suppose further antagonizing the _good mayor_ would do us no good... Very well then, let's be off." Then he began barking orders like a life-long military commander.

"Men, form a column; fighters to the front and the back, everyone else in the middle. Move it!"

Spurred into action by the emissary's unusual harsh tone, the group began moving in a frantic, somewhat disorganized fashion. Team TNDR went to the front along with Albain himself and a couple former Fang warriors, letting Ilia and the rest take the rear guard.

"You, you, you," Albain pointed out three boys in the moving group. "Since you volunteered so enthusiastically earlier, you'll be guarding the cargo; keep the wagon in the middle of the column and do your best to protect it from damage or there'll be hell to pay!"

The trio actually looked slightly scared but obeyed without question.

"Belladonna, you'll join Hacksaw at the wagon; no fighting for you until you're cleared by the good Doctor here! No arguing or I'll have you sent back home!"

"I wasn't about to..." Blake muttered to herself but complied. In all honesty, Tanya was kind of surprised by her docile demeanor; in the last couple days she learned the hard way how stubborn the girl could get.

Albain waited a couple more moments until the group stood in a proper formation; each and every person carried their own weapon and a knapsack with their share of supplies for the day. From a third person's perspective, the group looked like a force to be reckoned with; of course, your casual observer couldn't have known that a whole third of them never saw a Grimm with their own eyes, let alone fought one; in this respect, the journey to Mistral city would become their trial by fire.

Finally satisfied with the state of the formation, Albain took the lead and bellowed "We've overstayed our welcome long enough; time to march! Keep a swift pace, we have a lot of ground to cover; now, onward!"

Watched by dozens of onlookers, the column of Faunus warriors and their human allies began making their way out of the town, under the watchful eyes of the gunboat and its crew.

The streets of Altankhorin were almost vacant, with the obvious exception of the local militia men. The ordinary people chose to stay indoors while Albain and co. were in town; the very few they saw along the way quickly got out of sight.

 _Way to make us feel welcome,_ Tanya thought acerbically. This town couldn't make it clearer that it couldn't wait for the unwelcome visitors to be gone.

Albain was on edge the entire time they marched through the streets, half-expecting to end up with a bullet in his back from the local goons. Fortunately, all the militia did was stand back and watch.

In the end, they managed to exit the town without any incidents. Still, Albain only calmed down when the entire group was out of sight of the watchtowers at the town's outskirts.

"Alright, it's time." He muttered to himself and turned to Ilia with a meaningful look.

Without a word, the chameleon Faunus pulled out a flare pistol and fired a single shot in the air.

Tanya gaped at her with a stupified look. Then her expression morphed into one of anger. "Are you crazy?! This is gonna attract every monster in the woods to the town!"

"There aren't any in the immediate area." Albain brushed off her concerns. "Besides, with the kind of reaction they had to our arrival, Grimm would come anyway, flare or no flare. It's not like they're unprepared for an incoming attack, with the entire defense force mustered up and everything."

The fencer was furious... partially because she couldn't really argue his point.

"Remind me, why we're working with that guy, again?" Roland mumbled to himself.

"Because unfortunately, Albain is the only person in this group that Khan respects." Nicolaus replied. "Only he can talk her into working with us."

A horn blared in the distance.

It meant the gunboat crew was aware that Albain's crew made it safely out of town. Only now did the vessel leave the port.

"Well, this part went off swimmingly." Albain remarked. "That doesn't mean we should stop to pat ourselves on the back. Let's move out."

* * *

After days of slogging through the jungle and sleeping right under the skies with little to no protection against the vagaries of the weather, spending the night with a roof over their heads, in a warm bed and under soft covers seemed like the epitome of luxury.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end sometime.

Within a moment, Ruby Rose suddenly found herself on the cold hard floor, violently torn from her dream of being chased by an avalanche of puppies.

 _And such a pleasant dream it was, too_... And Drunkle Qrow had to ruin it all by grabbing a couple pots from the kitchen and bashing them together in the room while everyone was still asleep. Talk about rude awakening; that kind of racket could wake up dead.

"Up and at 'em, kiddies!" The veteran Huntsman bellowed, completely disregarding the cries of discontent all around him. His speech was slightly less slurred than usual; morning was about the only time he was _somewhat_ sober... and he'd be quick to rectify that. "Get off your asses; we got a busy day ahead of us!"

"I hate your stinking, booze-soaked guts, Qrow!" Yang shouted back as she struggled to climb out of bed.

"Love you too, Firecracker!" Qrow replied gleefully. "Now get dressed and get down under; they started serving breakfast a while ago so you better hurry up before all the good stuff's gone!"

Nora was already reaching for the hammer... at the mention of food though, all her anger and violent thoughts dissipated in an instant.

"Let's go, Renny! Before they're out of pancakes!"

The grenadier was out of the door, dragging half-comatose Ren with her.

"Move it, damnit! I've seen corpses move quicker than you do!" Qrow glared at the hunters-in-training as they were getting dressed and packing their stuff at a sluggish pace. "Twenty minutes is all you got before we move out so you better move your asses!" He then turned on his heels and stormed out of the room.

"Damn, I don't know how you can stand the guy," Jaune muttered as soon as Branwen was out of earshot. "He's just such a _hardass..._ "

"Well, here's more laid-back when he's drunk... which he is all the time." Yang quipped.

The blonde knight gave her a flat stare. "Except for morning, right?"

"Except for morning."

"Let's not worry about Qrow right now. Let's head down and grab a bite to eat... while there's still anything left." Pyrrha butted in, one of her arms sneaking around Jaune's waist.

Ruby fought back a grimace. The two of them were acting all lovey-dovey ever since the night Vale City fell. She was happy for them, of course... but did they really have to make such a show out of it?

 _And why am I even upset about it?_ Ruby had better things to do than worry about this teenage romance _crap_. But seeing Jaune and Pyrrha being so affectionate with each other made her feel... things, and none of them particularly good.

"Let's go, sis." Yang said with an impish grin. "Before Pyrrha decides to give Jauney here _something else_ to eat... and you wouldn't want to see _that!_ "

If that was a joke, then Ruby didn't get it. But judging by Pyrrha's intense blush and Jaune's mortified expression, it must've been something _wholly inappropriate_. Yang was out of the door before either of them could say anything in reply, cackling madly on the way downstairs.

A couple minutes later, the entire gang was gathered downstairs, having a taste of whatever the Drunken Huntsman's cook made for the hungry patrons. There was such large selection of dishes that all thought of moderation went out of the window. Everyone (except Qrow) wanted to have a try of everything, especially knowing they'd have to content themselves with canned meat and MREs for the next couple days.

And some took it to the extreme...

By the time Qrow decided it was time to set out, everyone was full to the brim... and then some.

"My body's gonna hate me for this..." Yang groaned, not looking particularly well.

"Oh come on, what's the problem?" Nora waved her hand dismissively. Nobody could understand how she could be so chipper after gobbling up _three full plates_ of pancakes. "Most of that will go up into your tits anyway... and that's not a bad thing, right?"

"Nora..." Ren groaned in annoyance; he was more or less used to Nora's antics but lewd jokes were something new and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Needless to say her brash comment surprised even Yang who had been known for her saucy remarks and relentless teasing. "Um, thanks... I guess?" She offered awkwardly.

"Yang's been a bad influence on you." Jaune frowned, still flushed from Yang's earlier comment.

"And you're too innocent for your own good, _fearless leader!"_ Nora shot back. "And don't get me even started on Ruby; I bet she still believes that crows and storks bring babies!"

"No I don't!" Ruby cried in indignation. "I know all about the, uh... _the adult stuff._ "

"See that?" Nora smirked. "She don't even want to say that word!"

"Oh shut up, for the love of God!" Qrow snapped. "Your prattling makes my brain hurt... not to mention all the attention you bring to yourselves!"

True enough, there was quite a lot of people around in the streets. And they stared, not even trying to hide it; some of them appeared to be choking back laughter.

Nora let out an embarrassed laugh. "Uh, oops?"

The veteran Huntsman shook his head in bewilderment. "Ugh, whatever... Listen, we have places to be and it's gonna be a long walk to the next city so the least you can do is try and keep up. And seriously, knock it off with your childish squabbling; you had enough time for that shit at Beacon!"

"Wow, Qrow." Yang drawled. "I think I like you better when you're drunk."

"And I like you better when you're actually using your brain." Qrow countered. "Which frankly you don't do nowhere as often as you should."

The Beacon students shared an uncomfortable glance. Despite appearing like a booze-addled trainwreck hardly caring about anything, Branwen could be surprisingly attentive and serious when situation demanded it. Alas, ever since Vale City fell to the Grimm, the carefree side of him started showing less and less... and it was getting worse with every mission they took with him. These days he rarely cracked a smile, let alone a joke, and the amount of alcohol he guzzled up every day didn't seem to get smaller. Rather, the opposite... and Ruby felt uneasy about the change in his behavior.

"What's wrong, Qrow? You're not usually this snappy."

"And the world wasn't so messed up before but hey – things change." Qrow grumbled, neglecting to answer her question. "Once we take down those who started this shit in the first place then I'll be as happy-go-lucky as you want. Until then, you'll just have to deal with the cranky ol' me." He headed down the street out of town, calling out to them without a backwards glance. "Now come on; we've wasted enough time already!"

"Well... not a good idea to keep the Huntsman waiting." Jaune shrugged helplessly and went after Qrow. The rest of team JRRNNY followed suit... not that there was much else to do.

* * *

The following several hours were about as eventful as anyone of them would expect.

A dusty, badly-maintained road ahead, and inescapeable green hell all around. Green with a sporadic touch of brown; that was about everything they could see of the jungle. The forests of Anima were admired by many for their (supposed) beauty, but after traipsing through the same environment for days, plagued by either suffocating heat or heavy downpours, the Beacon students learned to despise this place... especially when it housed some of the most dangerous creatures on Remnant, none of which would miss any opportunity to attack.

Not an hour went by when they wouldn't be assaulted by one of those things. Most of the time it was lone individuals scouting around; they have learned to put those down as quickly as they could to give them no chance of escaping... and coming back later with some friends in tow.

And so did the monotonous routine go; hike, fight for a bit, hike, maybe a short rest every couple hours, then hike some more... and then fight some more. True, they were making steady progress and that was definitely a good thing; still, against their better judgment, some of them wished for something to happen that would break this damnable repetitive cycle.

Alas, as the old saying goes: be careful what you wish for.

Late in the afternoon, Qrow and co. suddenly found themselves facing a large pack of Grimm that suddenly emerged from the thick jungle and immediately descended on them.

A bunch of old familiars – mostly Beowolves and Creeps – that weren't all to difficult to take down, despite the large numbers.

Team JRRNNY dispatched the attackers easily enough; having fought these numerous times before they already knew their strengths as well as weaknesses. Unfortunately, by the time the pack had been almost entirely wiped out, the fatigue from hours of trekking through rough terrain with only few breaks in between was starting to set in... and a sudden roar that came from _way too close_ to their position clearly signified the battle was not over.

The bloodcurdling sound made even Qrow tense up, his hands gripping his scythe with a vice-like strength.

"Something's comin'... you better be ready..."

Not a moment after the words left his mouth, a trio of large ape-like creatures burst out of the forest. Though looking very similar to ordinary gorillas, pitch-black fur, bony plates and spikes and skull-like face betrayed their true nature.

"BERINGEL!" Branwen bellowed a warning; only narrowly he managed to dodge a vicious blow from one of the Grimm apes.

Team JRRNNY found themselves fighting for their lives as the Beringel went relentlessly after them, as if completely overtaken by bloodlust.

Those things were surprisingly agile, considering they were twice as tall as an average man. A powerful punch sent Yang into a tree before she could even react. It wasn't nearly enough to put her out of the fight yet it served as a clear display of what kind of destructive force they were facing.

The Beacon students scattered in an attempt to divide the assailants. Ren and Nora, Pyrrha and Jaune, Ruby and Yang; each duo taking on one Beringel while Qrow provided support to all of them, keeping the situation from getting out of hand.

Beringel number 1 growled in rage as he took a grenade to the side; the explosive caused less damage than expected because the gorilla-like monster didn't even slow down. Instead it locked eyes with Nora who giggled nervously before leaping to the side, the Beringel barreling past the spot she stood at just a second ago.

The moment the Grimm turned around for another charge Ren leapt onto its back and emptied the Storm Flower's entire magazines into it before he began slashing away. The attacks had little effect, however, and Number 1 managed to snatch Ren out of mid-air as he tried to retreat. That could've easily resulted in a messy death if Nora didn't come to the rescue, slamming her hammer right onto the monster's head.

The blow sufficed to force the Grimm to drop Ren who immediately put a respectable distance between himself and the thing.

An idea flashed through his mind.

"Nora! I'll be the bait; you just keep hitting while it comes after me!" He couldn't hope to overpower the Beringel on his own... but Nora could, if he kept its attention on himself. Plus while the monster was very fast for its size, so was he... and he was confident he could outpace the thing.

Nora smiled sinisterly as she caugh onto the plan... and then the fight was back on.

Ruby gulped in fear as she stood alone against the Beringel number 2. As if sensing her dread, the monster made a show of pounding its bone-plated chest with its enormous fists and letting out a deafening roar... that was suddenly cut off as a black-and-grey blur shot right in front of it and a deep cut appeared on its face.

"Hey Red! Less gawking, more fighting!"

The familiar voice broke her out of the petrified state. Qrow still had her back and she wouldn't disappoint... even after he used her least-favorite nickname.

The Number 2 leapt forward and slammed both fists down on Ruby... only to hit a vacant ground and whirl up a cloud of rose petals.

The crimsonette appeared at its side and proceeded to hack away at its legs, seemingly teleporting from one place to another as she kept slashing. Alas she realized she wasn't causing nearly as much damage as she hoped... and the monster was starting to match her speed.

 _Time to step things up,_ she thought to herself... and moments later her face met a black fist and she found herself flung further into the forest.

Only after skidding twenty, thirty paces on the dirt did she come to a stop.

Looking up, she saw number 2 barelling towards her with an obvious intent of trampling her to death. Then suddenly the air in front of it violently exploded, stopping its assault and covering it in smoke.

"GUESS WHO'S BACK YOU DUMB APE!"

Even in her sleep she would recognize that voice.

Yang was back in action... and she was _pissed._

Ruby watched in amazement as her sister unleashed a barrage of vicious punches, their effects amplified by buckshots from her gauntlets. She was like flames dancing in the firepit as she kept landing hits all over Number 2's body, not letting it score a single punch on her.

Eventually Number 2 finally managed to shake her off and literally kick her away. The brutal hit only prompted a crazed laugh from the blonde.

"MY DAD HITS HARDER THAN YOU BITCH!"

 _Less gawking, more fighting!_

Just as Qrow's words echoed in her mind once again, Ruby rejoined the battle.

In the meantime, Beringle number 3 faced off against Pyrrha and Jaune. The two of them attacked together, always staying on the Grimm's opposite sides so it couldn't focus its attacks on both of them.

The knight ducked under Number 3's fist, bigger than his own head, and stabbed at its leg. The ancient sword sank deep inside until it struck a bone... or whatever equivalent of skeleton Grimm possessed.

If this happened months ago, Jaune would quite frankly be scared shitless. But with lessons from Beacon's curriculum and Pyrrha's training he had become a capable warrior in his own right. He might not be the strongest, the fastest, or most agile or sophisticated fighter but he could hold his ground as well as anyone else.

 _BUT..._ the greatest weapon in his arsenal was _his brain;_ strategy was his forte... _and so was fighting smart._

"Pyrrha, switch!"

"Got it!"

In a perfect unison, the two of them switched sides.

Jaune caught a brutal punch with his shield; its sheer power rattled his bones and knocked him a few steps backwards. It barely did a dent in his Aura though, considering the amount of it that he possessed.

The creature planted its left foot forward winding up for another punch. Of course, Jaune saw it coming from mile away... and prepared accordingly.

The moment Number 3's left fist shot forward, he crouched down and lifted his shield up, angling it slightly backwards.

When the Beringel's fist made contact it was deflected, sliding across its surface; it passed harmlessly above Jaune's head.

That was the moment the knight made his next move.

With all his might he slashed upwards at the offending limb. In a stroke of luck, Crocea Mors' struck right at the monster's elbow, passing through the joint and cleanly separating the arm from the rest of its body.

Number 3 roared in pain and rage as it lost one of its tools of destruction.

Then out of nowhere, a familiar bronze shield came flying and lodged itself inside the back of its head, nearly splitting the skull in two.

The Beringel remained standing for a couple seconds, wobbling back and forth before its legs finally buckled and it came crashing down into the dirt, sending tremors all over the place. The Beringel's huge carcass began falling apart mere moments after hitting the earth.

Pyrrha's shield returned back to her hand after the creature's skull dissipated.

It was at that time she and her partner realized the fight was basically over.

She saw Ruby chop Number 2's head off after Yang forced it to its knees with her powerful relentless blows, fueled by her own Semblance. Even as it was breaking down, the corpse bore deep slashes and burn marks all over.

Number 1 was also done for, convulsing in death throes as Nora went to town on it with her hammer, cackling madly while beating the life (or rather mockery of it) out of every inch of its body. Ren stood nearby, panting heavily and watching the scene of destruction with a strange look somewhere between disapproval and morbid fascination.

Was that a surprise? Not really... Everyone knew that Ren had a rather _dark_ sense of humor.

Amidst all the carnage, Qrow Branwen was leaning against his scythe, regarding the young students with a smirk.

"Well well... Looks like you kids learned somethin', after all."

* * *

Only a couple miles away from the site of the battle, there was an old ghost town, battered by both time and roaming Grimm. It was abandoned decades ago during unrest that directly preceded the Great war. Ever since its fall, no one ever tried to rebuild it; lack of resources after the War, strong presence of Grimm due to negativity surrounding the area... and ultimately the ruined town became entirely forgotten.

There was nothing to be found there; it was stripped bare of anything useful and the presence of Grimm made it too dangerous to take shelter there.

Enough reasons to give that place a wide berth.

Qrow and co. set up camp after three more hours of trekking, far away from the ruined town that drew monsters in droves. Admittedly it was a bit earlier than Qrow intended but it seemed neither fair nor practical to push the kids to their limits after such a hairy fight.

Oum knows there would be far more battles like that to endure.

Qrow volunteered to take the first watch and let the students huddle around a small fire. He didn't join them himself, though. While the others were busy chatting he became engrossed in his own darkening thoughts.

So much went wrong in a span of a few months and not even after half a year of investigation did he come close to unveiling the whole truth. Sure, maybe they did disrupt the Talon's recent operations... but despite being as messed up as those guys were, they weren't the real threat. Finding Cinder, her posse and her 'Mistress'... he wasn't having much luck with that. The only trail was Mistral... and what afterwards? That could be anyone's guess.

He found it ever more difficult to hide his frustration at the lack of progress and the kids were starting to notice.

Ozpin and he didn't see eye to eye on numerous things... but right now he sure as hell could use his help.

* * *

Yet another busy day at The Drunken Huntsman was drawing to a close.

The clock struck eleven in the evening just a while ago. The inn was mostly empty with the exception of a couple regular patrons who didn't seem to have had their fill of the drinking.

The barkeep sighed as she tried to ignore the booming laughter of the _very drunk_ guests. Those men might've appeared harmless but one could never know...

The woman did her best to keep herself busy with cleaning glasses and dishes while the clock kept ticking. Today it was her turn to work the late shift, the worse of the two options; loads of people coming in for a dinner, the patrons stopping by for drinks who were not always calm and collective, the local drunks who never seemed to know when to stop drinking... Things were tough and she couldn't wait to drop everything and go home.

Just one more hour...

Suddenly the front door slammed open... so forcefully that even the inebriated patrons flinched in start.

The barkeep was not happy.

"I don't know who you think you are but you better behave yourself!" She warned, entirely fed up with everything. "If all you came here for is make a mess then you might as well just piss off."

The woman expected the newcomer to scoff at her threat or start spewing insults... but the stranger merely laughed.

And what an ugly sound it was; a low high-pitched cackle that would give pause even to the most fearless of men. It grated her ears like nails against a chalkboard.

"Heh heh... My apologies."

Trying to shake off the sudden feeling of dread that came over her seemingly for no reason, the barkeep addressed the stranger. "As long as you don't do it again... Now are you gonna order something?"

There was a short pause... and then the stranger appeared directly in front of her.

The barkeep dropped the glass she was cleaning, only barely holding back a frightened scream.

Her eyes darted from the jet black hair tied in a braid to the man's gaunt narrow face, taking in his taunting smirk and crazed look in his eyes.

She wanted him to go away.

"Maybe later," The stranger said, his grin growing almost manic. "I was hoping you could help me... _find_ someone."

* * *

Author's note: _The Scorpio has made his appearance... better watch your back, Ruby Rose!_

 _ _Anyway, I'd like to let you know that I might take a short break from writing during the upcoming long vacation. I found I've been struggling with writing stories lately and it's getting tough to sweat out even the 'mandatory limit' 1 000 words a day (500 during workdays since I've got a full-time job as well). I feel like I really need to stop for some time and try and 'reinvent myself' as a writer, find out what my problems are and do something about them. No guarantee that I won't write anything during that time, of course; I'm just saying what might happen (or not) given my latest experiences. It goes without saying that after vacation it will be business-as-usual.__

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)__________


	16. A2 C5) No looking back

**Arc 2 – Journey**

Chapter 5 - No looking back

Deep in the no man's land, in a thick, hostile forest, a campfire began burning, casting warm yellow light on the surrounding dark woods. It was a single light leagues away from any settlement nearby, a proof of people's presence, their courage... or idiocy, depending on the point of view. No sane man would ever dare venture this deep into the territory owned by Grimm. However, the crowd of men and women gathered around the fire had very little in common with some hapless adventurers down on their luck.

No, these people had a clear goal on their mind, a specific destination to reach. And the ever-present Grimm threat? Through the whole day, there wasn't a single hour when they wouldn't see _or fought_ one of those horrors.

For some, it was nothing but daily routine; the others, well... some grew accustomed to seeing monsters nigh everywhere better than others. The young ones went their whole life without seeing a Grimm with their own eyes now had the chance to view them up close... and it left quite a mark on them.

Even as they sat around the fire, with more than a dozen guns to protect them from harm, they couldn't bring themselves to smile, or speak at all.

Twenty eight able bodies, shooting and slashing their way through the merciless Grimmlands towards Mistral City, the heart of all civilization in the landmass of Anima, were now setting camp in the darkening jungle. Ever since leaving the port town of Altankhorin, the combined force of former White Fang members and students of Beacon Academy walked for miles without pause, pushing themselves to their limit. During the day of ceaseless marching they put some fair distance between themselves and the southern coast of Anima... yet their destination was still leagues away.

Aware of their lacking progress, Fennec Albain, former emissary of the Fang, wanted to push on. However, seeing as the younger members of the company struggled to keep moving, he gave the order to stop and set up camp to allow the weariest in the group some reprieve. Pushing people to the point of exhaustion would hardly do any favors to anyone.

Those who still had some strength left in them either began building makeshift tents or went on guard duty.

Roland Peregrine, the sharpshooter of team TNDR, volunteered on the first watch; even while loading fresh rounds into his weapons' mostly empty magazines, he watched the rest of the crew milling about. Even in the dimming light he could clearly see the fatigue in their faces and to be completely honest with himself, he didn't feel all that good either. And the prospects didn't appear much better; this march was already proving to be too much for some people to handle. Alas, slowing down meant they could arrive too late to stop Red Talon from taking over in Mistral. On the other hand, people would start dropping from exhaustion if they maintained the current pace.

To top it all off, they weren't even sure where exactly they ended up... or how far behind the plan. Not that they had some reliable way of finding out. A map and a compass were kind of useless in a dark dense forest where everything looked exactly the same and where one was hard-pressed to find some kind of conspicuous landmark. If the whole group was walking in circles this entire time...

Wouldn't that be just sad?

Roland knew damn well these thoughts were a lure for the Grimm but it was too damn hard to keep a positive outlook when everything seemed to work against them.

Absorbed entirely by the preparations for his turn at guard duty, he didn't notice someone approaching. Not until the log he sat on creaked and shifted by the tiniest bit.

"You look like you're preparing for a war or something."

It seemed like such an absurd question considering the circumstances that he couldn't help it but laugh. "Aren't we all in war already?"

Tanya chuckled softly. "Well, can't say you're wrong." The war started the day hordes of Grimm laid waste to most of Vale City. The journey to Mistral was simply another in the long series of battles.

"How's the rest of the gang holding up?"

"Well, you know us; we're tough as nails, a simple walk to Mistral is a piece of cake." Not a completely true statement, as Roland saw first-hand.

Fighting off Grimm and almost ceaseless marching was something they could handle. It was the blistering, choking heat that presented the main problem; in no small part, it was also the reason why some less hardened people in the crew almost succumbed to fatigue.

"Can't say the same for our friends from Menagerie, though." The fencer continued, glancing subtly at Albain's people milling about. "Yeah, some of them are almost as good as we are. But the rest of them... I don't think they ever ventured beyond their villages to begin with. Now they're this far from home, smack in the middle of the Grimmlands... How do you think they cope with that?"

"Not well, I imagine." Roland hummed.

"Sure, it was mighty brave of them not to bail out when they had a chance... but maybe it would've been better if they did." Tanya remarked. "I know I might sound really insensitive now but they'll just slow us down if they can't keep up with the rest of us. Hell, did you see what happened to Blake?"

Roland just nodded mutely. Of course he did... After months spent in Red Talon's captivity, months of near-constant abuse, starving and degradation, Blake was severely weakened. The couple days of rest weren't even remotely enough for her to properly recover. In spite of all that, she stubbornly insisted on accompanying them to Mistral City and, incredibly enough, got her way in the end.

Now it seemed like a mistake to take her with them because about half-way to their current position she collapsed from fatigue and they had to put her on a cart for the remainder of the day.

"We should've seen that one coming." Tanya chuckled humorlessly. "There's no way she can make such a trek in that condition."

"If we left her in Menagerie she would've snuck off on her own anyway... and with no one to watch her back she'd get herself killed. You know that." Roland pointed out.

"Yeah, I know." The girl sighed. "I get why she's doing all this but it only means more trouble for us. And that attitude of hers sure doesn't help one bit."

Blake made no secret of her distaste at basically being placed under charge of both emissary Albain and Tanya. She was obliged to obey their orders to the letter and that didn't sit well with her. On the positive note, she hasn't been actively causing trouble, not intentionally, but her passive displays of discontent such as silent treatment or caustic remarks were grating on their nerves as well. It seemed that at this rate she and team TNDR would stop talking altogether.

Personally, Tanya didn't seem to mind too much since she had enough on her plate already. Either Blake would come around eventually or she would not; not much else could be done about it.

"You don't have to worry about Blake, you know." The rifleman said. "She has doctor Hacksaw watching over her and that Ilia chick turned out to be quite a devoted caretaker as well."

Tanya snickered at the mention of the chameleon Faunus. "Yeah, she's 'devoted' alright. Did you see the way she looks at Blake? I'm starting to think she actually has a thing for her."

Roland cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Hey, girls have an eye for stuff like that. Too bad Blake's completely oblivious; man, she's almost as bad as Jaune!"

The gunslinger shook his head with an amused smile; he didn't think much of the supposed sexual tension between Blake and Amitola. True, the two girls knew each other long before Beacon; it didn't necessarily mean there were any romantic feelings involved.

"Laugh all you want, buddy. I know I'm right." Tanya said, not put off by his apparent disbelief. "What would you say If I told you we're finally starting to get along with Albain's gang?"

"They don't give me the stink eye as often as they used to." Roland shrugged. "Doesn't mean they stopped hating our guts, though."

She scoffed openly at his answer. "Oh yeah? Then why don't you look at that?" The girl pointed at somewhere behind him. Roland followed the finger and saw a scene he didn't expect to witness.

Emery and Nicolaus were helping set up barricades around the camp to keep monsters out. The blonde sword-wielding titan didn't seem at all affected by fatigue but that was hardly unusual. One should expect no less from someone who was basically a superhuman. The big surprise was that Albain's people didn't avoid their company, very much unlike how they behaved during the sail. Back then most of them had no qualms about letting the humans know their company was unwanted.

 _Talk about gratitude for saving Menagerie and the Chieftain..._

However, it seemed the prospect of having to rely on each other to survive the vast expanses of Grimmlands between them and Mistral City were starting to extinguish this animosity. As Tanya herself put it once: _The threat of imminent and painful death has a way of bringing people together._

"Just like some people we know, you have a talent for missing the obvious."

"You know, after my previous experiences I think I have the right to be a little skeptical." Roland countered.

It wasn't like he tried to deny the possibility of this large disparate crew actually getting along. But the people his team was travelling with mostly consisted of former members of an organization that taught them that violent confrontation was the only way to approach humans. He had met his fair share of Faunus that wouldn't hesitate to kill him simply for being a human. He almost didn't survive one such encounter; his cybernetic right arm was a proof of that.

The relations might've been getting better but the old grievances wouldn't vanish that easily.

"You worry too much. Yeah, some of them still might hate our stinking guts but Albain can keep his own men in shape." Tanya replied.

 _And you too little,_ Roland almost wanted to say but thought better of it.

"First watch!" A loud bellowing cry echoed throughout the camp. "First watch on me! Move it!"

"It's time." Roland stood up and picked up his rifle. "Go to sleep, Tan. Rest while you can."

"I've got the next watch; don't think I'll sleep much tonight." Tanya chuckled. "See ya later."

The rifleman stood up and headed to a place at the edge of the campsite where a large hulking figure could be seen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two other people approaching the same spot.

 _Of course, I'm the only human there... Shouldn't have expected any different._

The three of them faced a giant armed with a double-ended halberd that seemed to dwarf everyone except Emery. The thing was clad in a set of heavy armor, his head being the only part of his body left uncovered. A severe look in his dark eyes, a deep scar over his left eye, a mess of long brown hair and a pair of rounded bear ears atop his head; Roland didn't really interact with this particular individual but it was clear this man was not to be messed with.

"Finally, I was starting to think I'd have to do everything myself." The goliath grunted. "Here's how this is gonna work; each of you will take one side of the camp. You can try and find some elevated spot for yourself but I doubt it's gonna help much in these parts. Raise an alarm if you see anything suspicious but I don't want you to make a ruckus at every little sound or a gust of wind. Understood?"

The brute made it clear what he wanted; a quick affirmative answer. And frankly, Roland definitely didn't feel like pissing him off. "Understood!" His voice sounded unison with the other two guards.

"We'll see about that." The bear Faunus huffed. "I don't want to see any of you away from your position for the next three hours. Now shoo!"

His tone left little space for argument.

 _These are gonna be some long three hours,_ Roland thought as he embarked on the first shift of guard duty. _Let's hope the Grimm are gonna be smart enough to just fuck off…_

* * *

Her eyes parted, slowly and unwillingly… and much to her shock, the world was swaying before her. If something was to interrupt her sleep, Tanya supposed it would be a swarm of Grimm storming the campsite. _But a goddamn earthquake?_ Here, of all places?

For a moment, her mind was sent into full-panic mode, screaming at her to get away before she got buried under a tree. But when a single glance around the surrounding woods left her wondering why all the trees stood so perfectly still… It was then Tanya realized there was no earthquake. The truth was rather simple; someone was shaking her, none too gently.

Still tangled inside her sleeping bag, she tried to roll onto her back. Whoever was trying to rouse her decided she wasn't getting up quickly enough, however, and gave her a nudge with their boot.

And a 'nudge' was putting it mildly. It was more akin to a kick, right in the ribs.

This was a behavior befitting a bully, something she absolutely couldn't stand.

"Up and at 'em, _human._ " A mocking voice sounded above her, grating against her ears like nails on a chalkboard. "Won't evade your share of the dirty work."

If Tanya wasn't already pissed before… this absolutely did it for her.

Almost as if on instinct, she reached for her saber and instantly felt the pommel of cold steel. Her free hand shot out and grabbed the offender by the collar of their shirt before they could even react. She then pulled them closer to her, pulling herself up in the seated position at the same time.

Whatever the offender was about to say was cut off by a blade that rested against their neck.

Even in the faint glow of the campfire, Tanya instantly recognized the _shithead_ that rammed their boot in her side.

A boy from Albain's crew, one that never got over working with humans.

"Listen, Delan." The fencer grounded out, her narrowed eyes boring into the Faunus' widened ones. "Call me 'human' one more time and _I'll kick your fucking teeth in,_ you hear me? I have a name so you better start using it!"

Delan began sputtering incomprehensibly but Tanya wasn't interested in whatever bullshit the guy was about to spin. She shoved him away, summoning a tiny bit of her Semblance to give the motion a bit more kick.

The asshole ended up landing right on his tailbone, eliciting a faint yelp.

 _Serves him right,_ the fencer thought with satisfaction as she began picking up her gear.

It was shortly after sunset when she went to sleep; now it was night, a very dark one at that. One could barely tell where the sky ended and the treetops began. The weak light from the diminishing campfire illuminated sleeping bags scattered haphazardly around the camp site. Anyone not on guard duty was fast asleep; some of them enjoying the time to rest before their turn came.

On the way to her post Tanya ran into Roland. The rifleman looked completely fine, as if he didn't spend the last three hours sitting in one spot staring into darkness. Only a slight degree of slugishness in his movements betrayed his weariness.

"How did it go?" She asked as they passed each other.

"Nothing's been happening so far." Roland responded with an almost invisible smirk. "Try not to fall asleep out there... and if you do, don't let Knut catch you."

Ah yes, Knut; the huge bear Faunus who thought he had to scream at the top of his lungs all the time to earn some respect around here. "Thanks for the warning, man; goodnight."

It took a couple minutes of searching but finally Tanya found a comfortable spot in a tree near one of the makeshift barricades. Its trunk was almost completely covered in a soft green moss that worked very much like a cushion.

 _Perfect,_ the fencer thought to herself. Who said one couldn't make themselves comfortable while sitting in a tree for three hours until their shift ended?

One hand on the hilt of her saber and the other resting in her lap, Tanya stared into the dark forest before her, looking for any signs of movement.

At first, nothing was happening; aside from the soft crackling of the campfire the woods were dead silent.

These could very well be the longest, most boring three hours ever... and Tanya was starting to feel the weight of the reality.

Then suddenly low scratching noises reached her ears... coming from directly _below_ her.

Breath almost hitched in her throat. _Please, don't let that be Grimm,_ she thought as she fumbled to unsheathe her saber. If monsters could simply sneak past without her, or anyone noticing, things could get ugly _really fast._

Finally she managed to tear the saber out of its holster and prepared to jump down and join the fight... However, there was no fight to begin with. Instead she was greeted by a very bewildering sight of Blake Belladonna trying to climb up her tree.

'Trying' was the word; with the way her body was weakened, the best she could do was drag herself up the trunk.

For a good couple seconds Tanya was dumbstruck, trying to comprehend what was happening. The girl who passed out during the march earlier in the day was now struggling to climb up the tree. This admittedly grotesque scene was strange enough by itself yet it also raised another important question?

 _Why? Shouldn't Belladonna try and save some strength for tomorrow, instead? And shouldn't I actually try and help instead of gawking like_ a bloody idiot?

That was exactly what Tanya did, ashamed of her lapse in judgment. Blake didn't seem interested in her help, outright ignoring the extended hand coming in her view.

 _Always has to make things difficult..._ The fencer sighed and kept watching.

A few seconds later Blake finally made it onto the branch she was sitting on; trembling and out of breath, yet she seemed proud of her accomplishment.

"So... was there a point to this little display? Shouldn't you be resting instead?" Tanya could have kicked herself for that. _Not the best way to start a conversation._ Ever since their reunion back in Kuo Kuana, Blake has been rather moody, to put it mildly, even snapping at people for no apparent reason at times.

Now though, her reaction to the poorly worded remark was unlike anything the fencer; a very unladylike sound somewhere between a chuckle and a snort. "I've slept through most of the day and not exactly of my own volition; I've had plenty of rest."

"You mean plenty of rest for a normal person." Tanya corrected. "Which you're pretty damn far from."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know I'm not a picture of health right now. I've heard that from Hacksaw so many times I didn't bother keeping count. Please, don't you start too."

Yes, _that_ was the Blake she was used to lately.

"You still haven't answered my question, though. Why did you come here?"

"To talk," Blake shrugged. "Is it so difficult to believe?"

 _Yes,_ Tanya wanted to say. "Well, you could've picked a better time for a chat. I'm supposed to watch over the camp to make sure that, you know, nobody gets eaten by Grimm in their sleep."

"I- I wanted to pass the time somehow 'cause I couldn't sleep." Blake admitted and hung her head. "There are things I wanted to say and- I guess I wanted to get it over with before I could chicken out again."

Tanya frowned. "What are you talking about?" Until now, the two of them scarcely talked and the cat girl seemed content with it. What changed?

"I know I've been difficult since we left home and I really don't have an excuse for it. It's just that- So many things changed since I left Beacon and I don't know how to deal with it. I mean, everything, literally _everything_ in my life fell apart! An organization that was supposed to protect our people from bullying and prejudiced turned into a cabal of genocidal maniacs; I used to hate violence yet twice in my life I used my talents to harm and kill; I wanted to protect people yet learned the hard way that I can barely protect myself!"

Blake was like a speeding train with no brakes; there was no stopping her. Every now and then, Tanya would glance around the darkness looking for any suspicious signs while doing her best to listen to an old friend and her unexpected, rambling confession.

"For goodness' sake, I left my team behind 'cause I couldn't handle my past mistakes coming back to haunt me!" Blake hid her face in her hands. "And after all that, here I am, thinking I can bring everything back to how it used to be with a simple apology! It's completely ludicrous, there won't be any 'forgive and forget' after what I did... yet I'm trying anyway, and willing to sacrifice whatever strength I have left for it! Am I crazy?!"

Now that was a good question. Tanya shook her head; in her honest opinion, Blake did a lot of questionable things in the short time she knew her. That time when she accidentally gave away her secret, in front of her team's resident 'Ice Queen' at that, and bolted away only to throw herself at the White Fang goons during a Dust robbery... A proper shit-storm, if she ever saw one. If it weren't for the help of Sun and her fellow Beacon students, Torchwick and his attack goons would've made a mincemeat out of her. Then there was a time when she nearly offed herself out of exhaustion trying to dig up info on White Fang and their next plans. Yang had stepped in before the girl worked herself to the cot in Beacon's infirmary.

And during the Vytal Tournament, Blake's string of bad decision culminated when Cinder had her pawns lay an ambush on them for interfering with her plans too often. Mercury Black and those two whoresons from White Fang, Taurus and Dracul, all of them ready to murder them in cold blood; they all were too lucky to survive... barely, in Roland's case. Nothing could've prepared them for being hunted like this. Nevertheless, Blake somehow decided it was all her fault and ran away, convinced her friends would be safer without her around.

The girl couldn't have been more wrong... and she created whole new pains in the process.

Team RWBY fell apart after Weiss was forcefully removed from Beacon Academy by her father; for a brief time, Ruby was the only active member.

It also meant Blake wasn't present during the Grimm invasion into Vale City. Maybe she could've made a difference during the battle, maybe she couldn't have but it would've meant a lot to all of them if she returned that day... which didn't happen. Instead she went on a wild hunt after the members of newly formed Red Talon, killing those bastards the same way they slaughtered innocent civilians. Ultimately, her quest for revenge ended in her being captured and enduring weeks of relentless torture... until the Talon's botched assault on Menagerie.

All of that happened within a single year... No wonder the poor girl was so messed up.

Even after the miraculous rescue she was pretty much out of it for the next couple days. At first, Tanya thought it a trauma caused by weeks of brutal imprisonment yet as time went by it showed Blake's issues did run far deeper. True, it was no excuse for running away when her friends needed her most and they had every right to be angry with her. Or Tanya thought so, at least. Alas, harsh words and heated arguments would hardly solve anything.

And Blake was actually trying to make amends, even though her attempts were ill-thought, to put it mildly. Signing up for a long exhausting trek through a deadly jungle where the Grimm were by no means the only possible cause of death in her current state of health? She was so thin that nobody would've ever guessed she was a student at a combat academy; a patient treated for anorexia was more likely option. If a monster, or a person, assaulted her she would've stood no chance on her own.

Any sane person would've stayed home to recuperate... but not Blake Belladonna. Despite being almost entirely dependent on everyone else in the gang, she chose to join them.

Was she stubborn? Yes, definitely. Blake was always like that; once she set her mind on something there was no talking her out of it. It was exactly the reason she got stuck with them. A rather annoying trait... but also an admirable one.

Crazy? Perhaps a little, ... but in hindsight, everyone had to be a little crazy to pick the career of a Hunter.

Now though, it seemed Blake was rethinking, even questioning everything. Not only her decision, but also herself.

 _Too late for that..._ and everyone needed a little push when lacking the strength to keep going.

"You know, I never told you this but... I nearly died back during the Fall of Vale City."

Blake's head snapped towards her, eyes growing almost comically wide. "What?! How?!"

"That's a long story... but mostly it's about me biting off more than I could handle." Tanya chuckled mirthlessly. "Remember how we talked about Cinder? Our next big target in Mistral?"

Of course Blake knew. She didn't really join in on their conversations... but that didn't mean she outright ignored everything. Hard to believe that the protectors of Faunus became little more than pawns to a human psychopath with unknown motivations and enormous power at her disposal, if the reports were to be believed.

"We still don't know what she came to Beacon for but she ended up fighting Pyrrha and Jaune in Ozpin's office, straight on top of the CCT tower. I was nearby and decided to lend a hand... that was before I knew what the witch was capable off." Tanya continued and her smile fell. "I mean, Pyrrha is an unstoppable beast in a fight and Jaune is, well, _decent,_ " Not so subtle jab at Jaune's lacking fighting skills back in Beacon... To his credit, he did get better but his days of being a bumbling idiot wouldn't be so easily forgotten. "My point is, it was two against one; they could've at least kept her busy until the real Hunters arrived and put her down. Instead, the bitch _demolished_ both of them; when I finally made it up there I saw Pyrrha beaten down and Jaune bleeding from a hole in his chest... and Cinder was about to murder them both."

"What did you do?" Blake asked in a small voice.

"What do you think? I just fucking lost it." Tanya snorted. "I tackled her right off the tower."

Blake stared at her like if she had just sprouted another head. "You didn't..."

"I sure did. I _kinda_ knew how to use my Semblance at the time so I figured I could break my fall while Cinder made a nice red puddle on the sidewalk... and if I couldn't I'd take the bitch down with me, at least. If only I didn't forget about the dragon..."

"A dragon? Are you talking about the huge wyvern Grimm that Ruby somehow managed to slay?"

"The very same." Tanya nodded. "Cinder could actually command the damn thing. None of us thought such thing was even possible... which was probably why it caught me off guard. It slammed into me; a simple glancing blow but it was enough to break my concentration, and when I started slowing myself down as we fell... I ended up breaking both my legs upon landing, if you could even call it that. The wyvern landed right in front of me and I couldn't do a damn thing to save my life. If Ruby hadn't shown up I would've been dead."

"That was some incredible luck," Blake remarked. "I should know." Her situation in Kuo Kuana wasn't all that different; only monsters were donning the skin of ordinary people.

"Yeah, somehow I survived. What came afterwards made me think I was in hell." The fencer shook her head. "I went under the knife a few times just to get my legs straightened up... and as if that wasn't enough, I lost my home... and my parents."

"Shit... I didn't know." Blake gasped. "How-"

"Mom's out whoring herself somewhere in Mistral; we don't talk about her anymore." Bitterness leaked into her voice despite her best effort at sounding indifferent. "Dad... He employed Faunus in his business so White Fang decided he deserved to die as well."

Blake winced and turned away. "Tan... I'm so sorry."

"Don't be; it's not like you could've done anything to stop it. Besides, he didn't suffer." Which was a lie, of course; her dad got badly burned when the Fang thugs set his house on fire and the doctors in the hospital couldn't help him. Blake didn't need to know that, though. "But that's not the point. I still have some metal keeping the bones in my leg together, you know; just enough to screw up my balance. Count in the metal monstrosities I have to wear, on my doctors' recommendation… Needless to say I had to basically start from scratch once I got released from the infirmary. The thing was, after all that shit I saw happen I just didn't find it in myself to do anything. It just- There didn't seem to be a point."

To this day Tanya didn't feel comfortable talking about the dark days following the Fall of Vale City. It was a path that was already dealt with and there was no need to revisit that. Yet she felt she needed to get her point across. "Funny enough, seeing all my pals going in the field all the time and knowing I couldn't do a damn thing to help… I wasn't sinking deeper into depression. It pissed me off, if anything… And the last straw was when I heard the news going around that Coco Adel was taking my team, _my boys,_ on a mission. I know it might sound stupid and the gang wasn't anything like that but it felt like I was being _replaced_ … Like if I didn't matter anymore. It was the final push I needed to get off my ass and start working my skin off to get back into action."

"I imagine it didn't go well with the doctors." Blake remarked dryly.

"You don't know the half of it, girl." Tanya chuckled. "I got yelled at, both by doctors and Prof- I mean _Headmistress_ Goodwitch more often than I cared to count. Didn't give two shits about that, though."

"Wait a moment!" Blake butted in. "I didn't know Goodwitch became a Headmistress."

"Acting Headmistress, to be precise." The fencer clarified. "With Ozpin dead or missing, someone had to lead the school. I thought you knew already."

"I didn't; really."

"Anyway, eventually Goodwitch took it upon herself to help me get back in shape, seeing as I was dead set on getting better; I tell you, it was a hell of a time… emphasize on the _hell_. After each of our training sessions I literally felt like I couldn't walk, I was dead on my feet. On the upside though, I learned more than I ever thought I would. It didn't take long before I got cleared for duty; I still had to take that disgusting swill they called 'medication' but I was just where I wanted to be all that time."

"I wouldn't have doubted you'd bounce back from the misery that befell you." There was some genuine admiration in Blake's voice even though she wasn't usually the one to openly show emotions. "Despite all that rebellious uncaring attitude and tomboy swagger you were a talent unlike many others. But… Don't take this the wrong way but why were you telling me all this?"

"Because you kinda remind me of myself." Tanya replied without a hint of hesitation. "Just like me back in the CCT tower, you royally fucked things up for yourself when you left Beacon. We both did everything we could to make up for our mistakes; the only difference being you started out _way too late._ "

Saying exactly whatever they thought without mincing words; that was one of the few things Tanya and Blake had in common.

"I mean, I could understand taking a few days away from everything to cope; heck, even if you came to us and said 'Guys, I can't do this anymore', we would've understood. The problem was you just ran away without telling us squat, left us wondering if something bad happened to you, or if it was our fault that you were gone, if we did something to drive you away without realizing it!"

There used to be times when Blake would've argued, would've named all the things behind her decision… but things were different now. The cat Faunus remained silent; only the powers above knew what went through her head at the moment.

"I know it's kinda pointless now, that nothing I say or do will change the past. Still, I've said it before and I'll say it again; you should've come to us first instead of leaving everything behind and running off. That way, we wouldn't have met you just as you were about to be executed by a rabid crowd of genocidal maniacs."

"Perhaps, and perhaps not; we'll never know the truth now." Blake said wistfully. "But better late than never, right?"

"I would've preferred never having to discuss this with you at all." The fencer remarked dryly. "I guess we just gotta take what we can get, don't we?"

Seeing Blake chained down like an animal amidst the frenzied crowd that craved blood, the blood of hers and of her family, it was a stuff of nightmares. Worse, it wasn't the first time Tanya faced the possibility of losing her friends… and she'd be damned to let it happen again.

 _Fuck the Talon and fuck Cinder and her lackeys, too; they are going down, one way or another._

„I meant what I said before we left home. I'm done being a coward." In that instant, Tanya could literally see fire return to Blake's eyes. "Once we get to Mistral City, I'm ready to face their judgment; I owe it to them. It might be too much to ask, given what's happened, but if the girls could forgive me I'd be grateful. And if not… I guess I'll just have to learn to live with it."

"I doubt it will come to that. But if it does somehow… My boys and I will have your back."

Blake looked at her with wide eyes. "You mean it?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're taking a slog through this damn jungle with us whereas everyone else would've stayed home and recovered. It wouldn't have been fair of us to deny you a second chance. Just make sure not to blow it, okay?"

 _And please don't cry,_ the fencer thought secretly. _I don't know how to deal with that._

"I- I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything and go to bed." Tanya retorted, giving the other girl a light push. "You're gonna need some shut-eye 'cause this little field trip ain't getting any easier anytime soon. Besides, I'm supposed to be on guard duty yet here I am gabbing away."

Just a couple days ago, Blake would've argued fiercely; there were moments when in her pig-headedness she'd refuse to heed a good advice. Yet this time, there wasn't a single word of disapproval or an angry glare; only a quiet 'see you in the morning' and she was making her way down, not even protesting when Tanya stepped in to keep her from falling squarely on her ass.

 _Maybe everything that happened since things in Vale went down the shitter really got her thinking,_ the fencer thought as she watched the cat Faunus retreat back to her bedroll. Perhaps that kind of lesson was too harsh (and wouldn't she know about that) and could've done more harm than good… but sometimes making the best of the worst was the only way to go.

For now, the fencer kept her eyes fixed at the yawning blackness of the night, waiting for her shift to end.

* * *

The gang managed to survive the night without incident. Deep in the Grimmlands, that was quite a feat. This was neither time nor place for celebrating, though… not while the nearest railroad was still miles away.

Ignoring the pleas of the less experienced members for 'just five more minutes,' Fennec Albain had the entire group mustered up before resuming the long marsh. He couldn't afford to delay; time worked against all of them and with no certainty of faster means of reaching Mistral City it meant walking… at a hellishly fast pace.

People would either have to keep up or risk getting left behind.

Just like yesterday, Tanya and her boys took position in the front. It didn't matter one bit they were on guard duty the previous night.

Tough it out and keep going. Albain said they made it further than expected yesterday… but he might've been wrong. Better expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised later than cling to a false hope.

Within half an hour since the wake up call, the camp site was all but gone. Only a pile of ash and charred pieces of wood remained behind as a sign that sentient beings occupied this little peaceful spot in the murderous land of Grimm.

The gang was on the move once again… and things were guaranteed to get even more difficult.

* * *

At the same time, some hundreds of miles away north, a lone figure walked onto a small clear spot among the centuries old trees. There was no apparent reason for him to wander around this small desolate spot in the middle of nowhere. Yet this stranger strolled around with a clear purpose to his steps… and he definitely knew what to look for.

Ordinary bystanders could hardly know who this person was… or the people he served.

There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about this particular place he walked upon. Ground covered in thick moss, fallen branches, all kinds of exotic plants; a place just like any others in the jungles of Mistral, devoid of any signs of human existence.

The stranger suddenly reached out and grabbed a cluster of moss that seemed to stand taller than the rest and pulled it from its place. Right underneath it, there was a pile of ash and charred wood; clearly remains of a campfire.

The stranger grinned widely, running his fingers through the ashes.

Something moved under his shirt… and shortly after, a scorpion tail snaked its way from where it was usually concealed, a poisonous stinger and all.

Revealed as a scorpion Faunus, the stranger took a sniff of the ashes… and his grin intensified, bordering on manic.

"Not even a full day ahead," He purred, sick elation leaking into his voice. "Good, _very good._ Soon, I will show all those sycophants I'm the only one worthy of the Mistress' attention."

His maddened gaze turned to the east.

"Looking forward to meeting you very soon, _Silver eyes._ "

* * *

Author's note: Ohhh shiiiiit... _Qrow and co. have no idea they have Cicero's distant relative (a Skyrim joke, BTW) coming after them. Wonder how the Scorpio's gonna fare against seven people at the time..._

 _Sorry about the late update, I intended to put this up way sooner than this but my workload's been_ insane _this month. I'm amazed I even had the time to write at all. As much as I hate admitting it, it's probably not gonna get much better anytime soon so expect rather sparse update for a time._

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)___________


	17. A2 C6) A sting of insanity

**Arc 2 – Journey**

Chapter 6 – A sting of insanity

Today would mark a week team JRRNNY spent in this vivid-green hellhole.

Ever since the Atlesian pilots ditched them at the western coast of the continent, Mistral's tropical forests were using every opportunity to let them know they weren't welcome. Blistering heat, freezing cold nights, unsteady weather that could easily go from unbearably hot to a clobbering cloudburst... and Grimm, hordes of Grimm. Of course, the monsters were a common occurrence in the vast uninhabited territory between the Kingdoms. Strangely though, it seemed the Grimm seemed to be the most numerous where they were going.

As exhausting and annoying as it was, having to fight a pack of beasts every hour or two, none of the young hunters-in-training ever attributed this curious phenomenon to any kind of nefarious powers. As Jaune himself put it, it was just plain old bad luck that seemed to plague them ever since the tragic turn of events in Vale City... it seemed like _ages ago_.

Qrow couldn't help it but chuckle as he remembered the blonde knight's words. The fool had no idea how right he was.

As the folk tales held, his namesakes, that is _crows,_ were considered omens of ill luck. In a strange twist of irony, his own Semblance took aforementioned trait and made it reality. This was why Qrow Branwen was one of the deadliest Huntsman of the modern times; any foe who challenged him had been met with a mysterious and persistent stroke of misfortune that would later become their undoing. A very useful trait indeed, sadly it had one major flaw; unlike its bearer, this particular Semblance did not differentiate between a friend and a foe. Qrow was a threat to both his enemies and his friends and family which was why he usually went on missions alone.

It was why he hovered high above ground in his bird form, a courtesy of old Ozpin, while his niece Ruby and her friends made their way through the thick forest, assuming he went to 'scout ahead.' It was for a good reason, and not solely because of the benefits of having a literal bird's eye view. The more distance he put between himself and _them_ , the less they'd be affected by his notorious Semblance.

That unfortunate side-effect had almost been the reason why he refused to accompany team JRRNNY on their mission to Mistral. He would've much preferred to take care of the mission himself, believing to have far better odds of succeeding. That was where Professor Goodwitch disagreed, though. For some reason, Glyn believed them kids to be capable enough to take the fight to the enemy, to beat them on their own ground. Even after the spectacular fuck-up that was the defense of Vale City which ended with thousands of dead and over half of the city lying in rubble.

All of them did whatever they could and more... yet it wasn't enough.

However, Qrow realized he didn't have it in him to say no; especially when Glyn openly admitted he had a point about real-life experience taking precedence over theoretical classes and regulated bouts in an arena. That woman sure knew how to appeal to his ego, damn her...

Even now as he flew high above the ground, with hot tropical sun above glaring relentlessly (and boy, did he feel it with all the black feathers soaking up the heat), he couldn't help it but wonder if he didn't make a mistake accompanying the kids to Mistral. Ever since leaving Beacon, this trip had been plagued with problems, mostly with this damn land placing as many Grimm between them and Mistral City as possible... the kids were handling this surprisingly well, though. He had to give them that much. True, there was much to improve and some of them were prone to foolish mistakes but the last fight against the trio of Beringel had him convinced they'd grow up into mighty warriors... with proper guidance, of course.

Oum knows they'll need it, in the days to come.

Hours of ceaseless march passed and the night was rapidly encroaching on the world. The sun hung low above the horizon, sending the last of its warm orange rays to illuminate the landscape before it would inevitably disappear.

Things were going extraordinarily well today, at least by the usual standards. Clashes with Grimm couldn't be avoided in this wild land yet today the monsters seemed to be few and far in between. Without Grimm getting in the way, the gang crossed much greater distance than usual... and less fighting also meant less of a fatigue. Overall, this was definitely a good day to all of them.

So why did Qrow feel so on edge, all of a sudden?

In his avian form, he checked every nook and cranny of the surrounding forest, even going as far as to fly up to two miles away from the students to check for a possible threat. There was just nothing; the woods were as empty as they could possibly be. So why the shivers down his back, as if he was about to get jumped...?

Pushing the unpleasant feeling far to the back of his mind, Qrow carried on with his scouting routine, approaching the ruins of a small town. He could feel the frown forming under the plumage on his head as he contemplated the abandoned place, slowly overgrowing with trees and shrubs. This could've been a nice, quaint little place to live... if the Grimm hadn't come and razed it to the ground. At least this place appeared completely deserted, no Grimm lingered nearby, at least none that he could see.

And a couple of those houses looked rather well preserved; well enough to stay the night and hidden from whimsical weather. And if something did try to sneak up on them in the night, well... there was nothing Qrow Branwen couldn't handle.

His mind made up, Qrow turned around and headed back to Ruby and her gang. Diving down through the treetops, he expertly maneuvered between the branches and slowly approached the ground... and then in a flash of bright light, he landed on a bed of soft moss in his human form.

Hearing the chatter coming from barely a hundred paces away, he realized he'd landed just near the 'kids'... and they didn't even notice him. His lips drew into an impish smirk; if he was doomed to slashing his way to Mistral city through this desolate jungle, why not have a bit of fun while at it?

Qrow hid behind a broad, hundreds of years old tree trunk and waited until the voices grew louder... and the footsteps became audible. Then, without making a single sound he stepped out of his cover, wincing in pain as his ears were hit with a startled ear-splitting shriek.

… _Eh, it was worth it._

* * *

She couldn't believe he'd do this to her.

After the hellish week in the jungles of Mistral, all the fighting, walking, sweating... Ruby was just finally starting to _really_ get the hang of this 'leading' thing. Not that she was inept at leading before, totally not that. It was just that a lot of things that she didn't quite understand before were now finally making sense. It showed the progress she made ever since coming to Beacon despite, well... _everything._ Instead of having to listen all the time, now she had important stuff to say on her own, to share it with her comrades. After having to fight through some of the worst things Remnant had to offer, Ruby felt like a true leader, one to genuinely earn the due respect... and _it was awesome._

And then Drunkle Qrow had to come in and _ruin everything!_

It took a single moment when the old man somehow popped up right before her when she was busy exchanging super-important wisdom with Pyrrha. And when she turned and looked straight ahead...

Ruby had never screamed _so damn loud_ in her entire life. She was pretty sure every Grimm in the forest would hear that.

Just like that, all her dignity was gone in an instant.

"Damn it Qrow! Why?!"

And the drunken old bastard had the gall to have a laugh over it... If she knew that Pyrrha had stood beside her with the very same mortified expression she might've felt a bit better about herself.

"Because you're just too damn easy!" Qrow cackled. "And to think I'd get such a cute scream from the Iron Maiden herself! Couldn't have imagined a better bonus!"

 _Huh?_ Only then Ruby realized why her scream was so loud... and why only her right ear was still ringing.

Pyrrha had turned red; no one could tell if from embarrassment or anger. "You are an ass, Branwen."

"Woah, tone down the flirting, Champ; your boyfriend's right there." Qrow fired back with the same cocky smirk he'd regard his foes with. Not even Jaune's dirty glare didn't faze him.

Pyrrha offered no reply beyond a glare and a huff.

"Is there actually something important you want to tell us or you're simply in a pranking mood?" Ren questioned, his face completely straight. A barely audible edge to his voice betrayed his annoyance at Qrow's antics.

"Oh nothing... except that we'll have a secure place to stay the night; you can thank yours truly, by the way!" Qrow replied with a mocking bow.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. " _How_ secure?"

"As in 'there are no monsters around'." The veteran Huntsman intoned, as if talking to a child. "Come on, don' tell me you're getting the willies already. But if you're that afraid that a little Grimm might take you while you're sleeping, I'm gonna scout the place out and make sure it's _squeaky-clean_ before you go in."

"You haven't even told us where we should go!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

"Oh, that's easy; just follow your noses, kids! Keep going until you see houses; then just find us a good spot. We'll be having the whole place for ourselves!"

Before anyone could say a word in reply, Qrow was off, seemingly disappearing among the trees.

Members of team JRRNNY exchanged a bemused glance as awkward silence hung among them. Then Pyrrha spoke up first. "Ruby, Yang... Don't take this the wrong way but your Uncle has some serious mental issues."

"Pff, what are you talking about? He's just playing, you know!" Ruby chirped, trying to play it off; her rebuttal didn't seem very convincing, though. "Things haven't been exactly great for us lately, and I guess that's his way of coping-"

"I dunno know, sis. I'm kinda inclined to agree with Pyr."

Even when facing Ruby and her expression of pure betrayal, Yang remained unfazed. To be fair, Ruby was always a dramatic one.

"Don't get me wrong. I love Qrow to death but... He's been getting rather erratic lately." The boxer continued. "The way he can go from being nasty and irritable to all jaunty, happy-go-lucky and shit, and then back to being sad again; it's just freaking me out, man. I mean, he had his bad days, but nowhere as bad as this... and it's began ever since Vale City got turned to dust."

None of them liked to be reminded of that day, and everything that followed after. Even Ruby had a hard time suppressing all sorts of negative emotions that surfaced at the mention of that fateful event; namely shock at the sheer ruthlessness and cruelty of the entire scheme, sadness at seeing so many people die and being unable to prevent it... and anger at the one person behind it all.

Cinder would get what was coming to her, no matter where she hid away.

"Guys, let's not dwell on it too much, okay?" Jaune butted in. "We don't want to attract monsters to us."

"You have a point, I suppose." Pyrrha heaved a sigh. "Let's go check out that place Branwen mentioned."

The rest of the group nodded affirmatively. Night was approaching quickly; it was time to look for a shelter.

* * *

Qrow made it sound like he'd made a discovery of the century when he was describing the supposedly safe place to stay the night. Ruby and co. were inclined to believe him, for whatever reason.

Alas, when they finally found the aforementioned place, it turned out their faith in Qrow was sorely misplaced.

They did find houses, like Qrow said before. The one thing the veteran Huntsman did _not_ mention was that 'houses' was way too generous term in this case. It was more of a collection of rusting steel, crumbling concrete and rotting wood that vaguely resembled a building... and there was a whole bunch of them.

The hunters-in-training stared in bewilderment at the grim scene before them. Then finally Jaune broke the uncomfortable silence by saying the exact same thing that was on everyone's mind at the moment.

"Ruby... did your Uncle lead us into a freaking ghost town?"

Ruby found herself shrinking under gazes cast by her teammates from JNPR, scarlet with embarrassment. Her sister wasn't coping any better with the sudden unnerving attention.

"Well uh... It can't be all that bad, right?" She chuckled awkwardly. "I mean, the choice of locale could totally be better but- No monsters around, that's a plus... and I'm pretty sure we can find some house that survived... whatever happened here, right!"

Her attempt at reasurring the gang was met with a lukewarm reaction, though. The prospect of relative safety and a roof over their heads could hardly beat the fact they'd be staying overnight in what was essentially a town-sized graveyard.

The only other option was to keep moving and hope to find a better spot... or sleep under the skies with little cover whatsover, as usual, and they were growing tired of doing that.

"I suppose we'll have to make do with what we have at our disposal." Pyrrha said at last, appearing none too pleased. "Let's look around; there should be some house left _relatively_ intact around here."

"I guess," Jaune shrugged. "Another jest like that and I'll be having a talk with dear Mr. Branwen."

Yang chuckled. "Your funeral, Vomit boy."

The whole group began walking deeper into the ruined town... except Ren who stared at the desolate place with a strangely distant look in his eyes.

The first to notice, perhaps unsurprisingly, was Nora. "Something wrong, Renny?" Ren was usually the calm and collected one and nothing seemed to faze him; it seemed surprising to see him like this.

"I know this place."

Ruby whirled towards him. "You do?"

Ren nodded. "The town is called Oniyuri... and it's basically the equivalent of Vale's Mountain Glenn."

Even hearing the name gave Ruby the chills. She and her team actually went on a mission to Mountain Glenn a few months ago, though it seemed like years now. Seeing the ruins of what could've been a thriving city, where people moved to start a new life only to meet their end... a sight like this just doesn't go away.

"Years ago, the richest members of Mistral were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run." Ren explained. "Frustrated with the council, they pooled their resources together to build their own city, with their own laws. They hoped that one day, it could maybe even become its own Kingdom. Many thought it would be the future." Pausing for a brief moment, he quietly added. "I know my parents did."

"What happened?" Ruby felt it might've been a stupid question... too late to take it back now, though.

"What always happens."

And everyone knew what Ren meant by that.

"That's strange," Pyrrha interjected. "A horde of Grimm would've caused much more damage than what we've seen so far. And if the rich elite built this place, they had the money and the means to build extensive fortifications or hire a number of armed personnel to make sure this place was safe from monsters. Nothing less than a full swarm could've gotten through this kind of defense."

"Maybe the monsters attacked before the town was completed." Jaune suggested. "I noticed there was still scaffolding at some of the houses around here. If the walls were incomplete as well, it would make sense that even a smaller horde of Grimm could overwhelm the crew guarding the place."

"There was no horde." Ren suddenly said, his voice hardened.

This remark earned him quizzical looks from his comrades. "What do you mean?" Ruby questioned.

"The carnage you see here is the work of one. Single. Grimm."

The deathly silence reigning over the ruins of Oniyuri suddenly became even more nightmarish. Ruby felt as if the air around her grew heavy, threatening to choke here. _A single Grimm_ could wipe out a whole town? What kind of horror could that possibly be?

A memory of a wyvern-like monstrosity flashed before her eyes. She was lucky to even survive that fight, let alone kill the damn thing, even if she didn't really remember it herself. Could it be another Primordial Grimm that laid waste to this town?

"Suddenly, I don't really feel like staying here overnight." Pyrrha remarked, looking rather pale. "Maybe we should just keep going?"

"Come on, guys; do you really think that whatever wrecked this place is gonna come back, tonight of all times? Just because a couple of Hunters stumbled in here?" Yang tried her best to sound confident, though it was clear she wasn't completely sure herself. "Look, if it makes ya feel better, we can always take turns on guard duty; just if something does come 'round it won't catch us with our pants down."

"If you say so," Pyrrha intoned. "I still think we should tell Qrow, at the very least. It's something he definitely should know."

Jaune frowned. "Wouldn't he know that, already?"

"He might've avoided this place altogether if he did know."

"Good point, Pyr."

"So, let's check this place out, and we might look around for the Drunkle while we're at it." Nora suggested. "Sound good?"

"Not like there's anything else to do." Ruby shrugged. "Let's go, then."

* * *

 _In the meantime in the southern part of the Kingdom..._

Albain had assumed it would take a week since landing on Anima's southern shore to reach some semblance of civilization. There were some more or less isolated settlements to be found in the vast expanses of rain forest between them and Mistral City but most of them would have little to no access to good roads or railways. As for means of transportation of any kind? Good luck finding someone possessing a truck... and willing to help out.

However, miracles do happen sometimes.

Shortly before noon, the combined band of former White Fang soldiers and students of Beacon Academy happened upon railroad tracks... and as the old saying goes, all roads lead to people.

This unexpected discovery filled them all with energy they didn't even know they had after hours of ceaseless marching. Albain gave the order to follow the tracks; these would lead them either to a nearest settlement or a train they could hop on, whichever came first.

An hour, two, then three... for nearly the entire afternoon they followed the train tracks without seeing even a tiniest sign of civilization. That was to be expected, though; this was the frontier of the kingdom, with villages and towns separated by leagues of green sea. The initial eagerness had started dying down and some started thinking that this was but another cold trail leading absolutely nowhere. Albain wouldn't give up so easily, though; he was absolutely certain that following the railroad would bring them to the civilization... and the possibility of rapid transport straight to Mistral City.

And as it turned out hours later, he was right.

By the time the sun started leaning towards the horizon, one of the lookouts saw plumes of smoke rising in the distance and faint outlines of roofs and towers. A town; a rather large one, actually. There was a good chance it was housing a train station.

 _Perfect..._

In spite of the exhaustion, the group sped up, energized by the prospect of not a day more of marching from dawn 'till dusk. Some actually started joking among themselves and laughing, as the days of misery in the jungle were seemingly drawing to a close.

Unbeknownst to all but the most observant, Albain stopped smiling.

As they approached the town, he found himself reminded by the near-debacle in Altankhorin. The local leader was ready to sic the town's entire defense against them; one single misstep and there would've been a bloodbath. Luckily for them, the militant mayor had agreed to a deal that would allow them passage through the town. The burning question here was; would they be met here with the same kind of resistance?

He couldn't speak for the hunters-in-training but his people were tired; they couldn't afford a fight if things did go sour, after all... and a whole column of Faunus turning up in town, led by a known White Fang member, was bound to arouse some suspicion.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"And what is that, Nick?" Came a reply from a certain sharpshooter.

"That our whole gang can't just waltz into town without attracting all sorts of attention?" The fox Faunus argued. "Remember how things went back at the port? What could've happened?"

It seemed like someone had the exact same thoughts.

"And what are you suggesting? This place might be our only chance to catch a ride straight to Mistral City. You sure you want to pass that?"

"I implied nothing of the sorts." 'Nick' replied. "I'm just saying that if we take the whole company with us straight away we'll just give locals the wrong idea."

"Okay, what if we send someone out to talk things over with the local leader, first?" Griffon suggested.

"That makes sense, I suppose."

"But who's gonna go?" The sword-wielding giant questioned.

"Funny you should ask..." Albain chuckled. He wasn't the one to pass an opportunity when it so conveniently presented itself. He couldn't show his face around the town without a real chance of being accosted by local authorities. But the hunters in training... no one would ever suspect them of anything unlawful.

"Wait a moment..." Griffon intoned with an incredulous look in her eyes. "You don't suggest we-"

Well, Albain wasn't surprised that his idea wasn't met with immediate approval. He was ready for it, though. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting." He said. "Many Mistralians see the White Fang as criminal organization and I used to be some of its more well-known members. I could hardly expect a warm welcome; they'd toss me behind the bars long before I'd even get a chance to negotiate with authorities. You, on the other hand, are known to have fought the Fang back in Vale City before... before things escalated. The local leaders would be more inclined to hear you out, or lend some assistance."

"We ain't no diplomats!" Peregrine objected.

The former Fang emissary chuckled despite himself. "Well, you don't have to be. It certainly didn't get _me_ anywhere."

Griffon pinched her forehead in apparent frustration. "What are we even supposed to say to get them on our side?"

"Well, truth usually works." Albain said sardonically. "In all seriousness, though; the state of society in Mistral had been uneasy in the last years, even more so after Red Talon rose to prominence. As much as people despise White Fang, they'll have to acknowledge its new, more extreme incarnation as a greater threat. You have common enemies; that alone should be enough to convince them."

"Alright, fine; we'll do it." The huntress-in-traning snapped after a few moments of silence. "Let's hope it won't blow up in our faces."

 _That makes two of us..._

"Excellent; the rest of us will set up camp around here, near the train tracks. We'll wait here until we're cleared to enter the town." Albain didn't openly show it but he was relieved. "Just a couple words of advice before you go, though; always watch your back once you're in town. I'm sure Talon knows of the role you played in thwarting the Fang's actions in Vale and the campaign against Talon. They already see you as a threat to their plans and we cannot ignore the possibility they have spies planted in town."

"We're used to that, believe you me." Peregrine chuckled darkly.

"I'm sure you are. Still, I thought it prudent to warn you. And that's assuming Talon does not know you had a hand in their failure in Menagerie. If this information somehow reached them as well... You _will be hunted_ the moment they lay their eyes on you."

"Let them come, then." Griffon exclaimed boldly. "I'll gladly show them how we beat them in Kuo Kuana. Come on guys, let's get this over with."

As the Beacon students departed in the town's direction, Albain couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling at the back of his skull that something was about to happen.

* * *

Even as the sunlight diminished rapidly, team JRRNNY continued exploring the long-abandoned remains of Oniyuri, having already marked a couple buildings that appeared in good enough condition to stay in overnight. Perhaps something useful to them might've been left behind when the town fell. At one point they considered splitting to cover more ground but Jaune decided against it. Better stay together in case something did come to attack them, after all; that, and this place gave him creeps for some reason.

And Branwen still hadn't returned from his scouting run.

"Where the hell is that guy?"

"He'll be back, Jaune." Ruby answered. "That's just him being super-sneaky; people just won't see him if he doesn't want them to."

"Right... so that's just his way of saying he's fed up with us?" Jaune chuckled when the fellow-team leader began sputtering, blushing in indignation.

"Hey- That's no- I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, sis; we get it." Yang snickered. "Nobody disses the coolest uncle under the sun, right?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "And that's taking his substance abuse into account?"

"I like him!" Nora chirped. "But to be fair, anyone that can kill monsters with style is okay in my books- Not that I'm saying that you guys can't do it! Of course you can! Otherwise we would've never made it to-"

Ren suddenly moved - lightning fast - and covered Nora's mouth to keep her from talking.

"What are you doing?" Ruby squeaked, surprised by his action.

"Quiet!" Ren barked in a low voice. "Listen..."

Nora took the hint, ceasing to struggle in his grip.

The group collectively fell silent, trying to catch whatever it was Ren warned them of. Alas, except rustling foliage and faint shrieking of wind, there was nothing to warrant suspicion.

"I don't hear anything!" Jaune whispered back.

"I do," Ren scowled. "Footsteps, quick and light... Someone's headed in our direction."

"Could it be Qrow?" Ruby piped up.

"I don't know... But he wouldn't like to see us with our guard down." His hand moved towards his weapon... and his friends mirrored his movement.

"Quickly, form a circle!" Jaune barked out.

The six of them now stood back to back, their eyes darting around the small open space among the ruins, trying to spot anything suspicious in the dimming light.

"Ren, tell me you can still sense whatever it is out there?"

"A single set of footsteps, a humanoid," Ren rattled off without a single glance at Pyrrha. There was a strangely vacant look in his eyes as if looking at something unseen. "Speeding up... it comes straight for us; be ready!"

"Oh yeah, I've been itching to smash someone's face in!" Yang snarled, her fists raised.

"You should take this more seriously, Yang!" Ruby hissed at her. "Remember what Qrow said: never go off half-co-"

She didn't get to finish as a shadow suddenly leapt over a nearby wall.

"Look out!" That was the only warning they got before the shape immediately went straight for them.

As the mysterious assailant approached, the gang could make out more of his features; male, tall, lean body, long hair with a braided ponytail, a gaunt face drawn into an unsettling, borderline psychotic grin.

The attacker was going straight for Ruby, unfurling his weapons, curved twin blades mounted to the vambraces on his forearms... or he would've done so if Ren didn't intercept him mid-air. StormFlower clashed with the atacker's claw blades in a shower of sparks. Ren attempted to both kick and shoot Tyrian, but he dodged. The two of them exchanged a quick series of blows and parries while the rest of the gang watched helplessly; they couldn't step in when there was a real chance of hitting Ren by accident...

Then the assailant found an opening in Ren's defense and kicked him away, immediately turning to go after Ruby.

"Not a chance, asshole!" Yang exclaimed and managed to score a solid hit on the attacker while he was distracted. Incredibly enough, he shrugged off the hit and blocked the next incoming strike with ease, laughing manically. Gritting her teeth, the boxer continued swinging away but couldn't even come close to landing another hit as her opponent parried or dodged every single one of them.

Then Ruby joined in, attacking from the other side... alas, with the same result. The attacker blocked her scythe and launched a counterattack which she only barely evaded.

By that point, the rest of team JRRNNY joined the fight; Jaune, Pyrrha and Nora who looked ecstatic at the prospect of hammering the soul out of their mysterious enemy.

Despite his confident, almost cocky demeanor, the assailant knew when he was outmatched, though.

Kicking Jaune away just as he attempted to land a blow, he leapt up on Pyrrha's shield and in a display of superhuman strength he jumped straight onto the roof of a nearby building. Holding himself up with his feet on wooden frames to either side of him, the man looked down at team JRRNNY.

The hunters-in-traning had their ranged weapons out, ready to blast away... but held back when Ren asked the intruder one simple question. "Who are you?"

To their surprise, the assailant cackled. "Who I am matters not to you," He pointed at Ren, "or you," And then at Nora. "Or-" He suddenly paused when his gaze landed on Pyrrha and Jaune. "Well... _you two_ do interest me."

"Oh, really?" Pyrrha gritted out. "How so?"

"Oh let me think..." The mysterious foe exclaimed with a dramatic flair. "I know! Our mutual acquaintance happens to be _very upset_ with the two of you; for crossing her plans and humiliating her. The latter got to her the most, though. Are you feeling accomplished?"

This man had all the marks of a deranged lunatic... and his laugh gave them all chills. Yet despite his mental instability he was a very capable opponent and didn't hesitate to show it, acting like he was having a cordial chat and not fighting six armed individuals to death.

"What mutual acquiantance?" In his mind, Jaune balked at the idea of having _anything_ in common with this madman. Yet apparently, this madman loved to talk... and he figured he might get some additional info out of him.

"Oho, don't tell me you've forgotten already, fair knight! Were I in your place, I would've definitely remembered the face of t _he woman that nearly killed me!_ " The mysterious foe grinned savagely when he saw Jaune's eyes widen in recognition. "Ha! So you do remember _our dear Cinder_ , after all! She's so angry with you and your little girlfriend that _she ordered your death_... Luckily for you, though, while normally I'd be _happy_ to oblige, I have other tasks to fulfill." This time, his piercing yellow eyes found Ruby. "No, I only matter to _you._ "

Ruby flinched at the threat in his voice. "M-me?"

The madman broke down in laughter. "You- you haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how exciting this must be."

"What do you want?" Ruby had to put more force into her voice, just to mask how unnerved she was by the man's erratic behavior.

"Why, I'm here to whisk you away with me, my little flower!"

"Well, what if she don't wanna go with you?" Nora spat out.

The assailant pretended to think for a moment before replying "Then I'll take her!"

In an instant, all weapons were aimed at him.

"Good luck with that, buster," Yang snarled as she put herself between Ruby and her would-be kidnapper. "Cause you'll have to go through us, first."

The assailant narrowed his eyes and let out a low laugh filled with sadistic glee. "Good, I've been looking for a challenge."

Then his voice dropped to a low growl.

" _Then let us play."_

* * *

This was supposed to be a quick job; enter the city, make the arrangements with the town's leaders to allow a safe passage for Albain's crew and then hop onto the first train to Mistral City.

Easy as cake, right?

However, after team TNDR entered Yanagawa, as the town was called, it began to show that this task might be more problematic than they thought.

First of all, they didn't exactly receive a warm welcome from the locals. People were being suspicious of outsiders; the students experienced it themselves whenever trying to talk to one of them. Sideways glances, hesitant answers and keeping their distance; a telltale sign they didn't want to have anything to do with them if they could help it. Understandable, given to the happenings around the world. It had been over six months since the fall of Vale city, more than enough time for the news to come around despite the CCT network still not fully operational.

Now imagine what kind of uproar it would cause once Albain and his company turned up here... There was the hoping the locals would be more open-minded.

It wasn't just the apparent lukewarm attitude of the townsfolk, though. Tanya didn't want to tell her teammates; there was enough pressure on them already. But ever since entering Yanagawa, she was plagued by this strange but persistent feeling that left her rather uneasy. It made her skin crawl... A sense of foreboding, like a terrible threat looming over them. She didn't see herself as superstitious but this nagging feeling seemed to compell her to watch her back all the time... and she couldn't banish it out of her mind.

In the meantime, the four of them arrived to a local train station.

"Looks like we're in luck," Roland drawled. "Maybe we should check the schedule if there are trains bound for Mistral City, just to make sure we ain't wasting our time here."

"Sounds good," Emery shrugged. "Let's go."

The station's vestibule was largely vacant; perhaps unsurprisingly as not many people chose to travel in these times. Yet there was a slight but apparent change to people's behavior there. There were no suspicious glare cast their way and, with a couple exceptions, no one went out of their way to avoid them as they walked past. In all fairness, those people were travelers from other towns and didn't have much of a reason to view the Beacon students as intruders.

A brief inspection of the schedule showed that there was indeed a train line connecting Yanagawa with Mistral City. With this mission accomplished, only thing left to do was to secure a safe passage from the authorities. And so team TNDR set out to the local town hall.

Everything seemed to go smoothly but it did nothing to diminish Tanya's instincts that kept screaming something was amiss. She didn't understand why she felt that way... not until Nicolaus leaned towards her after a few minutes of walking from the train station.

"You notice that?"

"... Notice what, Nick?"

"Those two characters on the other side of the street; long coats and huge hats." Nicolaus whispered back.

Roland snorted. "Classic, not conspicuous at all." Tanya had to choke back a laugh at his sarcastic comment.

"They've been tailing us ever since we left the train station."

"What, a couple thieves looking for some easy pickings?"

"Do we _look_ like easy pickings?" Emery pointed out. "With all our weapons at full display?"

"Point taken." Tanya shrugged. "Still, who do you think they are? Local gangsters gathering info about newcomers?"

They kept walking the entire time they talked... and the two strange characters followed some distance behind them.

"Or they could be Talon spies." Nicolaus frowned. "Notice how they're covered from head to toe; they wouldn't be able to operate with their Faunus features in full view. Local police would've accosted them before long."

"So how do you suggest we deal with them?" Roland asked.

"Might lure them in a trap. If we go to a more vacant part of the town it might encourage them to follow us more closely." Tanya suggested. "They're bound to get reckless that way... and then we'll strike. And we might get some answers while we're at it."

"Think they'll fall for it?" Nicolaus questioned. "They might flee once they realize we know about them."

"Nah, if they really are with Talon, we've crossed them way too many times for them to just ignore us." The fencer pointed out. "If they're trying to get us with our pants down, then we might as well challenge them at their own game, don't you think?"

"Hmm... makes sense." Roland mused. "So how do we play this?"

"Well, we're just gonna keep walking." Tanya whispered, doing her best not to look back at the two stalkers. "Once we find a suitable spot... we'll improvise."

As the four of them walked down the street, doing their best to ignore the pair of 'spies,' Tanya found herself thinking. If those guys really were with Talon... then how was it possible they learned of their presence so quickly. Did they also somehow get wind of their plans, as well? Or their current company camping out in the woods? How?

Certainly not from Cinder and whoever she was working with. Considering the events after the fall of Vale City, her alliance with Vale's White Fang, or Red Talon after its transformation, was done.

 _Or was it?_

Nobody expected the Fang to cooperate with humans, especially for something that could be considered a _human cause._ Yet it happened anyway.

Well, if anything, she could always beat the truth out of those oh-so-sneaky guys that tailed her team.

From an outsider's perspective, it appeared as if the Beacon students wandered aimlessly around the two. And that much was true, to an extent. Yet the entire time, Tanya carefully observed the surroundings, looking for the most suitable place to spring the trap.

In the meantime, their pursuers seemed to genuinely get the impression they got lost and grew bolder as a result. The poor bastards never realized they were just playing right into their hand. Tanya stopped one of the passers-by to ask for directions to the nearest town house; a good bit of information to have but it would also lure the stalkers closer. No doubt they were listening in.

The game of cat and mouse brought team TNDR to the more run-down part of the town with numerous abandoned houses nobody bothered to maintain... and at the time, there was nobody around.

 _Perfect._

Without warning, Tanya used her Semblance to blast herself backwards... straight into the two spies who followed only several paces behind, bowling both of them over. To their credit, the two recovered very quickly from the initial surprise and attempted to flee the scene. Kind of a strange reaction, if they truly were Talon spies; wouldn't they try and fight even when clearly outmatched, simply acting on their hatred of humankind?

Tanya's attempt to stop them from running resulted in a brief scuffle in which she managed to incapacitate one of the stalkers while the other managed to get away. The caught stalker ended up on his stomach while Tanya sat atop him, twisting his arm behind his back. Her teammates surrounded them just in case the spy somehow managed to escape their leader's grip. Despite the apparent hopelessness of the situation, the stalker continued to struggle, which only earned him a punch in the gut.

"Stop squirming or this is gonna get even worse for you, pal!" Tanya hissed. "Why were you following us? Who do you work for? Is there more of you bastards coming after us?"

The spy fixed her with a defiant look, refusing to dignify her with a response.

Tanya gritted her teeth. "Buddy, I dunno who you want to impress with that attitude but if you don't stop wasting our time I'm gonna make the next couple minutes of your life _very unpleasant_ if you don't start talking _right now!_ "

"... Go to hell, _human._ " The last word spat out like a curse; that was a Talon attitude, alright.

"Finally getting somewhere..." Tanya muttered to herself before applying more pressure on the goon's arm, eliciting a grunt of pain. "How did Talon learn we're here? And where's the rest of you bastards hiding at?

"Guys, we have company!" Emery cut in, his eyes fixed at a police van that suddenly turned up in the street.

"There's another one," Roland pointed at another vehicle approaching from the opposite side. "That's a lot of trouble just for this small fry..."

Tanya didn't say a word; that strange feeling of dread suddenly grew much worse. So many people to arrest a single Talon spy? If the bastard was that dangerous, how did he get caught so easily? And why no sirens?

Something about this seemed off... almost horribly so.

The vehicles stopped some distance away from them. A moment later, the side door flew open and men in full combat gear started spilling out... no less than fifteen men armed to the teeth, all forming a half-circle around team TNDR and the Talon spy.

"What the hell is going on..." Nicolaus muttered, looking genuinely worried.

Tanya tried to tell herself it was just an overreaction on the police's part; after all, this was an organization responsible for destruction of Vale City they were dealing with. Even when the entire unit aimed their guns at them.

Then the voice that came from the loudspeakers mounted on the police vans crushed all those hopes.

"You are under arrest for high treason, on the grounds of cooperation with a known major terrorist organization! Surrender peacefully or be subdued by force!"

"...The fuck?!"

Roland didn't know it but his reaction pretty much summed up what the entire team was thinking.

Tanya stood up, the spy squirming underneath her completely forgotten. Her mind was reeling from this accusation. Who the hell came up with such nonsense? It should hardly matter, though; this had nothing to do with justice and she wouldn't bend her knee because of some _bullshit_ allegation, even when held at gunpoint.

"Guys, I don't know how you arrived to this conclusion but it's one hundred percent false!" She called out to police strike team. "Unless you can present us with the proof of our wrong-doing, then we're within our rights to resist arrest when it's based on a false accusation." The entire time she eyed the abandoned house behind them; a good cover in case her words fell on deaf ears.

And they definitely did; the only response from them was a repeat of the previous order. "Surrender peacefully or be subdued by force!"

There was no reasoning with them, Tanya realized, and fighting them would only hurt their own cause. She didn't know what this was about but, assuming they all got away from this predicament alive, she would find out.

 _Nobody stabs_ us _in the back._ Nobody.

"To the house! Quick, on my signal!" She hissed under her breath, getting affirmative nods in return.

The cops were getting impatient, fingering the triggers of their guns.

Unfortunately, her remark wasn't lost on the spy who began screaming "Shoot the bastards! NOW!"

 _Was he with them? What the hell?!_

"Run!" Tanya barked out and sprinted to the nearest house with her friends following suit, even as bullets began raining all around them. No time to ponder on whether it was live ammo or not... yet by the time they made it to the front door, they all lost some portion of their Auras.

"Inside! Quickly!"

The entire police force attempted to pursue them inside but Tanya held them back with a massive shockwave that knocked them off their feet. Only then she retreated into the derelict house.

Emery barricaded the front door with a large wardrobe that remained inside the house.

"This won't hold them for long," Nicolaus exclaimed. "We need to find some way out of here!"

"Shit! The staircase's collapsed!" Roland called out.

 _Shit, indeed..._

Tanya frantically looked around while doing her best to ignore the cops outside barking orders, searching for any way out of the ruined building. Much to her dismay, almost all windows on the ground level were boarded over, the only one left uncovered being situated at the side in clear view of the hostile police team. And going upstairs wasn't an option.

She felt a surge of horror as she realized they were trapped... but she refused to accept it.

"We gotta get to the back of the house! Those guys are bound to get inside sooner or later but if we hold them off long enough we can get rid of the-"

She didn't finish as a few small metal containers found their way inside... through the only window that wasn't covered.

At first, she thought those were grenades but was proven wrong quickly when the containers began releasing a thin white-ish smoke.

Nicolaus knew exactly what it was. "A sleeping gas..." He couldn't stop the terror creeping into his voice.

At that moment, Tanya knew this was it. Their only way out was already besieged by cops who just waited for them to get out that way to pick them off one-by-one. The other possible escape route was cut off by the fallen staircase; maybe it was possible to climb to the second floor... but they were already out of time. No way the entire team could make it out of there.

She felt the gas starting to affect her. The world before her eyes began spinning and she felt like if an invisible hand began squeezing her throat.

This was one thing Aura couldn't protect people from...

Tanya coughed, sucking more of the sleeping gas into her lungs. She had to think while her mind was still clear.

At least one of them had to make it out of here... to warn Albain's crew, at very least. No doubt they would be the next target.

If anyone had a chance at this...

Mustering all of her fast-fading strength, she grabbed Nicolaus by his shirt and began dragging him to the ruined stairs.

"What are you-"

"Save your breath, Nick!" The fencer gritted out. Despite her swimming vision, she could clearly see Emery and Roland on the ground, gasping for breath.

The sleeping gas spread too quickly.

"Nick, I need you to-" Tanya only barely suppressed a coughing fit. "Get to Albain and tell him what happened; somebody wants to take us all out of the picture... They need to know!"

"You can't be serious!" Nick protested. _Stupid bastard, what could he possibly do to help when thrown in the brig with us... or rotting in a ditch..._ "I'm not gonna leave-"

She wouldn't let him finish.

"Yes... _you will!_ " And she used her Semblance to launch the fox Faunus to the second floor, where the windows were left uncovered.

The feat drained last of her strength; her knees buckled and she hit the floor, hard.

Nicolaus stared at her from above, shocked by her actions. Tanya didn't care; she needed him _to get off his ass and move._

"There... your way out... Go, already!"

Finally he gave a hesitant nod and darted out of sight.

The barricaded front door finally gave away and the strike team spilled inside the house.

She found herself dragged to her feet, her body not responding to her commands.

One of the cops screamed something at her, waving his gun in front of her face. She would've flipped him off if she had any strength left.

Her teammates struggled vainly against the captors; Emery was held down by half a dozen men and they still had trouble keeping him under control.

This was a complete disaster... but she wasn't mad.

 _We'll get through this... we always do._

That was the last thought before she drifted out of consciousness.

* * *

Author's note: _Well, our friends from Beacon seem to have a shitty luck as of late. On one side, a homicidal maniac sent to abduct the Silver-eyed warrior... and on the other - crooked cops sent by an unknown party seeking to put team TNDR out of the picture. How is this gonna end?  
_

 _Well, this ain't a final stop otherwise I'd have nothing left to write about ;-)_

 _Anyway, ladies and gents, this is the last update of year 2019. I guess many of you are celebrating already (it's still afternoon where I'm sitting) so I wish you all a good fortune in year 2020 - maybe it be less shitty than the previous one!_

 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _As always, thanks for reading, review, favorite or follow; compliments and/or critique always welcome :-)____________


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